Apple blocks Fortnite iOS App Store resubmission, Epic Games says

Fortnite’s iOS App Store resubmission was denied by Apple, Epic Games said Friday, the latest move in a drawn-out tussle over the payment structure of the iPhone maker’s application platform.

“Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union,” the official account of Fortnite wrote in a post on social media platform X. “Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.”

Apple said in a statement later Friday that it did not remove Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces.

“We asked that Epic Sweden resubmit the app update without including the U.S. storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies,” the company said.

Epic Games submitted Fortnite to Apple’s U.S. App Store last week, a month after a judge ruled the iPhone maker was not allowed to charge a commission on purchases that consumers make outside of an iOS app.

Fortnite was pulled from the App Store in 2020 after Epic Games updated its software to link out to its own website to avoid Apple’s commissions. Apple charges developers a 30% fee for in-app purchases.

Fortnite had been available on iPhones in Europe since last year through Epic Games’ own digital store. Third-party app stores are allowed in the European Union under the Digital Markets Act.

However, on Friday, Epic Games said that it was also blocked from distributing Fortnite on its Epic Games Store for iOS in the EU.

The main issue for developers surrounding Apple’s App Store rules is the “control” that the tech giant has, according to Gabriel Le Roux, CEO and co-founder of payments infrastructure startup Primer.

“Developers are being boxed into a rigid ecosystem that limits how they monetise, engage with users, and scale,” Le Roux told CNBC Friday.

“For gaming companies in particular, the economics are brutal. They often operate on thin margins, with high customer acquisition costs and a constant need to re-engage users. Losing 15-30% on every in-app transaction can completely erode profitability,” he added.

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