After over four years of fighting, including in the courts, Epic Games’ Fortnite is back on Apple’s U.S. App Store.
Disagreements with Epic and Apple started with when the former wanted to take payments directly from its players, bypassing Apple and its 30% cut on purchases. After years of legal back and forth, a decision earlier this month sided with Epic, which seemed to signal Fortnite’s imminent return on iOS.
But Apple didn’t immediately comply, holding up Fortnite’s reinstation and looking to appeal the court’s decision.
“Although Apple’s contracts may permit it to reject an app for lawful reasons, the Injunction provides that Apple may no longer reject an app—including Fortnite—because its developer chooses to include an external purchase link,” Epic noted at the time. “Likewise, if the Injunction is to have any teeth, Apple cannot reject an app on the ground that its developer has sought to enforce the Injunction’s prohibitions.”
Apple has now budged, and Fortnite is available for download on its store again. The fight between these companies will have major ramifications across the industry, as it opens the door for publishers to work around the cut that digital store owners usually take from purchases.