Fortnite Pulled From iPhones Again: Epic Games Slams Apple Over Latest Block
According to Apple, it had merely asked Epic’s Swedish arm to resubmit a game update — this time without including the US storefront — to avoid wider disruption.
Epic Games' smash-hit title Fortnite has vanished once more from iPhones in the United States and European Union, reigniting tensions in the long-running feud between the gaming giant and Apple. While the iOS version of the game remains inaccessible on the App Store globally, Epic says the block will continue "until Apple unblocks it."
A Sudden Vanishing Act
On Friday, iPhone users across the EU and the US found themselves unable to access Fortnite via Apple's operating system or its App Store. Epic Games, in a brief statement, said the game was “unavailable worldwide” on iOS platforms but offered no reason for the abrupt takedown.
Apple, however, provided some clarity. According to the iPhone maker, it had merely asked Epic’s Swedish arm to resubmit a game update — this time without including the US storefront — to avoid wider disruption. “We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces,” an Apple spokesperson said, as reported by Reuters.
Legal Grudge Match Continues
The ban marks another twist in the contentious legal saga that began in 2020, when Epic accused Apple of monopolistic practices by charging up to 30% commission on in-app purchases. That dispute sparked multiple lawsuits across jurisdictions and brought global attention to the tech industry's gatekeeping policies.
Not one to back down, Epic struck back on Friday by filing a court motion in California, urging a judge to hold Apple in contempt. The gaming company argued that Apple was ignoring a previous ruling that should have allowed Fortnite to return to the App Store.
In the strongly worded filing, Epic said Apple's actions were "blatant retaliation against Epic for challenging Apple’s anticompetitive behaviour and exposing its lies to the court."
Europe’s Role and Apple’s Compliance Pressures
The EU had previously intervened in the standoff, pressuring Apple under the Digital Markets Act to ease its grip on App Store policies. As a result, Apple reinstated Fortnite last year and even approved Epic Games' own marketplace for iPhones and iPads in Europe.
Yet this latest hiccup suggests that the uneasy truce may have been short-lived. Epic, the world's largest gaming studio — partially owned by China’s Tencent — has continued to win battles in court. Most recently, it scored a legal victory against Apple earlier this month.
Whether that momentum will be enough to bring Fortnite back to iPhones for good remains to be seen. As of now, fans of the battle royale sensation are once again locked out, with the game’s fate hanging in legal limbo.
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News headlines at this hour in fatafat style | 6 December 2021
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