After going through a lengthy back-and-forth, the situation between Epic Games and Apple remains tense. Following a court-mandated agreement intended to mend relations, the latest submission to bring Fortnite back to the App Store was blocked, leaving its iOS version “offline worldwide”.

Summary of the Conflict

For those who haven’t been following this saga:

• Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic, has been vocal about Apple’s 30% cut since 2015.
• Epic attempted to implement a system allowing for purchases outside of Apple’s payment method in 2020, which led to Fortnite’s removal from the App Store due to a TOS violation.
• Epic then sued Apple, claiming anti-competitive behavior, to which Apple responded with a countersuit.
• After a round of legal battles, a court verdict favored Apple mostly, but also dictated several changes to allow developers more freedom regarding pricing.
• Recently, a US court reprimanded Apple for violations, and while Tim Sweeney suggested that Fortnite would soon return to the App Store, Apple remains reluctant.

The situation is still under scrutiny, as Epic’s iOS player base continues to await the game’s return.