Tech Desk 
May 19, 2025
In a latest turn of events involving the removal of Epic Games' popular game Fortnite from Apple's App Store, the company has filed a new court request, asking Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to compel Apple to accept any compliant version of Fortnite to be distributed in the US.
The longstanding legal dispute between Epic and Apple is led by the latter's App Store policies, particularly involving its commissions on in-app purchases, TechCrunch reported.
The Fortnite developer recently celebrated a legal victory when Judge Rogers ruled that Apple was in “willful violation” of a regulation against anti-competitive pricing. This ruling raised the possibility of Fortnite's return and allowed developers to explore alternative payment methods.
Nevertheless, Apple plans to appeal this ruling.
In a recent statement, Epic announced that Fortnite would be unavailable on both the US App Store and the Epic Games Store in Europe. “Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it,” said the company.
Challenging Epic's aforementioned claim, Apple clarified that it requested the former to resubmit the app update without the US storefront to keep Fortnite's availability in other regions intact.
Regarding this, an Apple attorney indicated that app submission will not be worked on until after a ruling from the Ninth Circuit pertaining to a request for a partial stay of the new injunction.
Epic argues that Apple is hampering its ability to benefit from the pro-competitive rules established through this legal battle.
