Does your iPhone have a Fortnite-shaped hole in it? That may be about to change. Epic Games submitted the app to the Apple App Store for review on Friday, May 9. Here’s what’s happens next and when to expect it.
Fortnite hasn’t been in the Apple App Store since 2020. That was when the makers, Epic Games, included a direct payment option into the app, which violated Apple’s rules. “The move was a calculated protest against Apple’s 30% commission on in-app purchases, and it sparked a years-long antitrust battle between the two companies,” as 9to5Mac put it.
In April this year, Epic claimed victory after a federal judge ruled that Apple could no longer block developers from linking to or advertising external payment methods. “The ruling also prohibited Apple from applying a 27% commission on out-of-app purchases initiated through in-app links. In the days since, companies like Epic, Stripe, Patreon, and Spotify have begun embracing the new guidelines that Fortnite helped bring about,” 9to5Mac commented.
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic posted on X, “NO FEES on web transactions. Game over for the Apple Tax. Apple’s 15-30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful here, unlawful there,” he said. Then, on Friday, May 9, he posted again: “We’ve submitted Fortnite to Apple for review so we can launch on the App Store in the U.S.,” Sweeney said.
Apple says it approves 90% of apps in under 24 hours, though a Friday submission would add to that time. Also, let’s be honest, Apple is going to give this app careful consideration, to say the least, before it approves it. And Apple is not legally required to approve it at all, but the optics might be poor if it rejects it.
The newly submitted app will contain ways for users to either pay using Apple’s in-app purchase or to pay via the Epic Games Store instead, which earns a bonus. If you’re buying 2,800 V-Bucks, the game’s currency, it costs $22.99, but buying via the Epic Games Store earns the player 20% ($4.60) back in Epic Rewards.
If it is approved quickly, it could be back in the App Store tomorrow, Tuesday, May 13.
I’ll be following what happens next, so please check back.