Apple blocks Fortnite’s App Store return as downloads fail in Europe

Fortnite maker Epic Games has announced that Apple has blocked the game’s return to iOS. Following the rejection, Fortnite is no longer available on iPhones and iPads even in the European Union, where it had previously been available to download through the Epic Games Store.

“Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union,” the company posted on the official Fortnite X account. “Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.”

The Verge has confirmed that the game is no longer available to download on iOS from the Epic Games Store or the alternative marketplace AltStore PAL in the EU, where it had previously been available. It’s not yet clear if Apple blocked the game’s availability through those stores, or if Epic itself chose to make it unavailable. We’ve reached out to both Apple and Epic for comment.

Fortnite returned to iOS in the EU last year, but only through those two storefronts, and not Apple’s App Store. The return was made possible by the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which required Apple to allow third-party app stores on iOS.

In the US, Epic had resubmitted Fortnite to the App Store this month using its EU developer account following a recent ruling in Epic’s lawsuit against Apple that prohibited Apple from restricting developers’ ability to link to external payment systems, one of the issues that had started their long-running legal battle.

This week Epic CEO Tim Sweeney announced that the company had pulled its previous Fortnite submission and submitted a new one that included an update due to release today, noting that “all platforms must update simultaneously.”

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