Epic resubmits 'Fortnite' to the App Store for review, as its initial request seemingly ig...
Epic Games has once again submitted "Fortnite" to the U.S. App Store for review, after Apple seemingly ignored its previous submission for five days.
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Epic Games has resubmitted 'Fortnite' to the U.S. App Store for review.
On May 9, after announcing its intentions a few days prior, Epic Games tried to get Fortnite back on the App Store by submitting the game for review. While most applications typically get reviewed within 24 hours, this was not the case with Fortnite. Instead, there were no developments in regards to the game's review process for more than 120 hours, or five days.
Given that its request went unanswered for such a long time, Epic Games understandably decided to cancel its initial request for a review. Fortnite leaker Shiima revealed that Epic has submitted a second review request, with the company's CEO Tim Sweeney later confirming the details himself, MacRumors notes.
Sweeney explained that Fortnite is set to receive a new content update across all platforms by May 16, and says that's why Epic Games "pulled the previous Fortnite version submitted to Apple App Review last Friday."
In the days leading up to the initial Fortnite submission, Epic's CEO appeared fairly confident that the game would return to the U.S. App Store within a matter of days. "We've told Apple what we're doing. We've told their developer relations team," commented Sweeney at the time.
"I would be very surprised if Apple took action to block it," said Tim Sweeney. "I can't imagine Apple blocking Fortnite at this point."
Sweeney seems to have been caught by surprise, judging by his previous statements, but it appears that Apple won't reinstate Fortnite without a fight. Though the exact reason for Apple's apparent inaction concerning the Fortnite submission remains unclear, the two companies' lengthy legal battle was more than likely a contributing factor.
The whole ordeal of the Epic vs. Apple saga began in 2020, when Epic attempted to bypass Apple's in-app purchase system and offer direct links to external purchase methods with Fortnite. The game was removed from the U.S. App Store because of this.
Epic Games spent over $100 million in fees and countless hours of litigation to reach a single partial victory.
In 2021, an anti-steering injunction forced Apple to enable links to external purchase options in the United States, but the iPhone maker tried to collect a 27% fee on these purchases. The company is also said to have used "scare screens" in an attempt to dissuade consumers from using external purchase methods.
More recently, in April 2025, a federal court judge found Apple in violation of the 2021 anti-steering injunction. Apple has appealed this ruling, however, and the company announced these plans shortly after the courts made their decision.
After the judge ordered Apple to stop commissions and linking rules for external media, Epic Games CEO extended a peace offering to Apple. At the time, he said that Fortnite would return to the App Store within a week if Apple complied with the judge's order on a global scale. Sweeney's peace offer, however, appears to have been unsuccessful.
Despite Fortnite's most recent setback, in that Apple did not review the original App Store submission for more than five days, Epic Games is still trying. Sweeney appears confident that the app will make its way to the App Store eventually, but time will tell whether or not U.S. gamers will ever be able to enjoy Fortnite on iOS again.
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Comments
For all the time Fortnite was not on the App Store, there was no significant dent in Apple sales or in-app store fees (pure speculation on my part, but I am sure we would have stories if this was not the case).
The years Fortnite was off the store made Apple realise that they do not need it on the store.
Now, if Apple has no incentives such as fees on in-app purchases off Fortnite and they do not have an exodus of Users leaving iOS because Fortnite is not available, why would Apple be in a rush to let it back on the App Store?
What really is the incentive? To earn customer goodwill? I don't think most people could care any lesser than they did the past couple of years.
*Edit: I am sure anyone can sue anyone for anything, but would the case have a legal leg to stand on?
I'm surprised you say "its platform." It almost seems like you're conceding that the App Store is something Apple created and controls rather than a natural human right that Apple is obligated to manage for the public good.
Having said that, if Apple were precluded from mandating the payment mechanism in the first place, Apple would have charged some other fee for the privilege on being on their platform (like every developer who sells games for the PS5, etc. does to be part of that ecosystem). So I see no reason why Apple shouldn't be able to do that with Epic in this case. Win-win, right?
And who is really violating whose rights? By its latest ruling the court has clearly stated that it doesn't give a shit about the 5th and 14th Amendments to the US Constitution, so when the government decides to take YOUR property and doesn't compensate you, you won't complain, right?
And by the way, I very well could be wrong, but isn't submitting your app from a different account after your account was banned a violation of the developer's agreement? So, couldn't Apple just ban the EPIC Sweden account now?
Oh, I forgot, people like you don't think companies like Apple have any legal or contract rights because "Apple bad" is as far as your mind is able to go.
Why am I still surprised when people post stuff like this?
And worse, Apple would have to ignore every single other app review request to make that "Sorry, didn't get around to it" excuse work. By selectively ignoring Epic's app review request is clear evidence of discriminatory behavior toward them. And judges typically dislike it when plaintiffs don't follow court orders.
Note that Apple does not have any "pocket veto" authority here. In the same way, you can't just speed down your street or ignore red traffic lights because you "did't have time to look at signs and lights."
If you were a landlord and had to evict a tenant for reasons that the courts agreed on, then you have every right to not consider renting out your unit again, to that former tenant. That's the "pocket veto" authority Apple have. It was Epic Games that sped down the block without looking at the signs and lights because they were too stupid to consider all of the consequences.