There's light at the end of the tunnel of the incredibly protracted legal battle between Epic Games and Apple that began six years ago when Epic first introduced its own direct payment system in Fortnite, bypassing Apple's 30% fee on all transactions on iOS. The case has taken several major turns and been the cause of a lot of industry shuffling, but at long last, the popular battle royale is back on iOS devices in almost every region across the globe.
The 'almost' stipulation applies to the fact that Fortnite is not back on iOS devices in Australia yet, despite Epic having won its legal battle with Apple in the region last year. "The Court found many of Apple's developer terms are unlawful, and yet Apple continues to enforce those terms," Epic writes in a blog post on why Australian players are being left out. "Epic is now asking the Court to bring Apple's unlawful conduct to an end and to make orders that will benefit all app developers and iOS users."
But while that element of Epic v Apple continues, chief executive officer Tim Sweeney and Epic Games are preparing for "the final battle" of this case while celebrating Fortnite's global App Store return. In classic Epic fashion, it spoofed another Apple trailer as part of its celebration.
"Fortnite is back on the Apple App Store as we head into the final battle of Epic v Apple in court," Sweeney writes in a post on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account. "For years, Apple has fragmented iOS features and fees by territory, taking regulatory negotiating positions in secret, and intentionally delaying the pursuit of justice."
"Apple has now told the Supreme Court, 'Regulators around the world are watching this case to determine what commission rate Apple may charge on covered purchases in huge markets outside the United States.' So we see this as the beginning of the end of the Apple Tax worldwide."
The blog post further echoes Sweeney's statement, saying, "Apple knows the U.S. federal court will force it to be transparent about how it charges its App Store fees. Fortnite is returning to the App Store now bcause we are confident that once Apple is forced to show its costs, governments around the world will not allow Apple junk fees to stand."
"We will continue to challenge Apple's anticompetitive App Store practices of banning alternative app stores and competition in payments...It's time for regulators to truly enforce the laws so developers and consumers around the world can benefit from an open and fair mobile app ecosystem."
With this case nearing its end, it'll be interesting to see if it has any impact on similar cases raging against PlayStation and Steam, as both platforms are facing lawsuits with their own 30% transaction fees at the center of them.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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