The fight continues between Epic Games and Apple. Fortnite, the publisher's flagship game, was removed from the App Store in 2020 after the latter began selling V-Bucks (the game's "currency") with something other than the store's billing system.
Apple persists and signs
This story motivated Epic's complaint, which Apple largely won... with one small exception: the manufacturer must accept that developers can send their users to online stores to buy virtual goods or subscribe to subscriptions. All of this, without charging a commission on purchases made on the web.
Apple has since tried to suspend this costly decision, but has no other choice but to validate the apps that communicate their offers and promotions to users. All of them... except one. The one who started the scandal, Fortnite! When the judgment was announced, Epic announced the game's return to the US App Store in the coming days. And since then... nothing.
Epic submitted two versions of Fortnite to the App Store, but Apple did nothing. Worse still, according to the publisher today, the Apple company has "blocked" the submission, making it impossible for it to relaunch the game in the US App Store. And the European version, distributed since last summer in the Epic Games Store (third-party stores are authorized in Europe under the DMA), is also blocked without further explanation.
"From now on, unfortunately, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it," laments Epic. This is a new round of pressure on the manufacturer, which has resolutely decided not to let anything go - even if it means reinforcing its increasingly damaged reputation among developers.
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