Epic Games says Fortnite back on Apple's US App Store

Epic Games on Tuesday said its hit game "Fortnite" has returned to Apple's digital App Store in the United States after being sidelined for years due to a legal battle with the iPhone maker.

"Fortnite is BACK on the App Store in the US on iPhones and iPads... and on the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the EU!" the game maker proclaimed in a post on X.

Last week, "Fortnite" became unavailable on the App Store around the world, apparently as the result of an updated version of the game being rejected by Apple.

While Fortnite with its millions of daily players had already been unavailable to iPhone users in the United States, the block on downloads of the cartoonish multiplayer shooter affected the entire globe.

While Apple did not reply to a request for comment on Tuesday, it said previously it had asked Epic in Sweden to resubmit its app update without a newly added digital storefront permitted as the result of a lawsuit in the United States.

Neither Apple nor Epic disclosed what cleared the way for the Fornite app's return in the United States.

North Carolina-based Epic has battled Apple and Google for years over commissions they charge on transactions at their official stores for digital goods tailored for iOS or Android operating systems.

These are historically the way most users install apps onto their devices.

Although it has secured wins in US courts and European Union digital regulations, Epic effectively accused Apple of slow-walking the vetting process it enforces before making an app or game available for users to download.

Fans in the European Union can usually download the game through the company's own app store since the Digital Markets Act, which went into effect last year, requires Apple and other US tech giants to open up their platforms to competition.