## Fortnite Set to Make Triumphant Return to US iOS App Store Following Court Victory
After a long and contentious legal battle, it appears Fortnite is finally making its way back to iPhones and iPads in the United States. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney announced on X that the popular battle royale game is slated to return to the US iOS App Store “next week,” marking a significant victory for the gaming company.
This announcement follows a recent court order that prevents Apple from collecting commissions on purchases made outside of the App Store ecosystem. This ruling effectively paves the way for Epic to circumvent Apple’s controversial “Apple tax” on in-app purchases, a core point of contention in the ongoing legal dispute between the two tech giants.
Fortnite was famously removed from the App Store in August 2020 after Epic Games implemented its own in-app payment system, violating Apple’s strict rules. This sparked a legal showdown that saw a judge rule largely in Apple’s favor in 2021. However, this latest development, allowing for alternative payment systems, shifts the landscape significantly.
Sweeney further extended an olive branch to Apple in his X post, offering a “peace proposal.” He stated that if Apple were to extend this “friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework” globally, Epic would bring Fortnite back to the App Store worldwide and drop all current and future litigation.
While Fortnite has already made a return to iOS in the European Union, it was achieved through Epic’s own mobile app store, a workaround not currently available in the US. This App Store return would represent a much wider and more easily accessible return for US players.
As of now, Apple has not responded to a request for comment on the matter. The coming week will be closely watched by gamers and tech enthusiasts alike to see if Fortnite’s return to the US iOS App Store materializes as planned, and whether Apple will consider Epic’s proposal for a global truce. The implications of this potential return and the proposed “peace deal” could have lasting effects on the future of app store economics and developer relationships with Apple.
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