Fortnite Returns to Global App Stores, Except Australia, Amid Legal Battles with Apple

Fortnite is once again available on the App Store worldwide, with the notable exception of Australia. This marks the game's return to Apple's platform in the U.S. after a nearly five-year legal battle between Epic Games and Apple. Epic Games expressed confidence in the current political climate, which they believe will allow the game to be reinstalled on most iOS devices globally.

The company is placing its hopes on a U.S. federal court ruling that would force Apple to reveal the operational costs behind its App Store fees. Epic Games anticipates that once these costs are disclosed, governments worldwide will not permit Apple's additional fees to remain in place. This legal strategy is central to Epic's efforts to challenge Apple's control over its digital storefront.

This comeback follows a period of significant change for Epic Games. In March, the company announced it was laying off approximately a quarter of its workforce and discontinued several game modes, including Fortnite Ballistic and Festival Battle Stage. The Rocket Racing mode is also slated for removal in October. CEO Tim Sweeney cited a decrease in player numbers for the company's main game as a reason for these changes, particularly concerning its mobile presence.

Regarding Australia, Epic stated that the game remains unavailable there because Apple continues to enforce terms that Fortnite's publisher deems illegal. Epic highlighted that an Australian court had previously found many of Apple's developer terms to be unlawful, yet Apple persists in enforcing them. Epic is now seeking a court order in Australia to end Apple's alleged illegal conduct and benefit all app developers and iOS users.

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We are only in the early stages of returning to mobile and optimizing Fortnite for the billions of smartphones in the world; and as the industry's vanguard, we have faced many challenges in the battle that are just beginning to bear fruit for us and all developers.