Tech Desk 
May 18, 2025
Bidding farewell to an all-time favourite game is always heartbreaking, and temporarily so, so it seems the case with Fortnite enthusiasts around the world as Apple has removed the widely popular title for iOS devices.
Fortnite's disappearance from App Store first in the US and then in the European Union (EU) is said to be triggered by a long-standing legal dispute between the iPhone maker and Epic Games.
The Fortnite developer confirmed that the block shall remain intact “until Apple unblocks it,” with no crystal-clear reason provided for the removal, Reuters reported.
From Apple's part, it clarified that it had only asked Epic Sweden to resubmit the app update without taking it to a US storefront so that the disruption could be restricted to gripping other regions.
“We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces,” Apple said in a statement.
Responding to Apple's take on the Fortnite termination for iPhone users, Epic lodged a petition in a US federal court late on Friday, asking the judge to hold Apple in contempt.
“Apple’s blocking of the app was ‘blatant retaliation against Epic for challenging Apple’s anticompetitive behaviour and exposing its lies to the court,’” the filing stated.
The legal battle between the two bellwethers has been ongoing since 2020 over Apple’s 30% commission on in-app purchases, and although Apple restored Fortnite in the EU last year after being pressurised by the Digital Markets Act, the game remains suspended in the US.
