Earlier this month, the heated lawsuit between Apple and Epic reached a ruling. The case didn’t go the way Epic hoped because, albeit the legislation does require Apple to permit alternative payment systems on iOS for in-app purchases, most other counts were found in favor of Apple. If you thought maybe Fortnite would be headed back to the iOS App Store after Apple’s sizable win in court, it’s such as you were unfortunately mistaken.
On Twitter today, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney shared an email exchange he had with Apple about getting Fortnite back on the App Store. Initially, Sweeney emailed Apple’s Phil Schiller, posing for the Fortnite development account to be reactivated and promising that Epic would “adhere to Apple’s guidelines whenever and wherever we release products on Apple platforms.” additionally, Sweeney said that if Apple allowed Fortnite back on iOS, it might relaunch Fortnite on Mac “as soon as possible.”
Late last night, Apple informed Epic that Fortnite will be blacklisted from the Apple ecosystem until the exhaustion of all court appeals, which could be as long as a 5-year process. pic.twitter.com/QCD7wogJef
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 22, 2021
The reply he received, which was served through Apple’s lawyers, is not what he hoped for. “Late last night, Apple informed Epic that Fortnite are going to be blacklisted from the Apple ecosystem until the exhaustion of all court appeals, which might be as long as a 5-year process,” Sweeney said on Twitter. Epic has already filed an appeal for the judgments in favor of Apple. Essentially, Apple’s reply states that Fortnite won’t be allowed back on iOS until the decision during this case is final.
“Apple lied,” Sweeney said regarding the company’s Fortnite rejection. “Apple spent a year telling the planet, the court, and therefore the press they’d ‘welcome Epic’s return to the App Store if they comply with play by equivalent rules as everyone else.” Epic agreed, and now Apple has reneged in another abuse of its monopoly power over a billion users.”
You can read Apple’s full reply to Sweeney’s request within the tweet embedded above. Still, the explanations Apple cites for not allowing Fortnite back on the iOS App Store include statements Epic made regarding the App Store, the ruling of the court which found that the choice to terminate Epic’s developer account was “valid, lawful, and enforceable,” and “Epic’s duplicitous conduct within the past.” So, albeit it’s uncertain whether the court’s ruling will persist upon appeal, it’s pretty clear that we won’t see Fortnite back on the iOS App Store anytime soon.
