This is a major breakthrough for the game’s maker, Epic Games. The mobile shooter title is one of the most popular games in recent years, but there were numerous legal battles between its creators and Apple.
Epic said that once Apple is required to reveal its real costs, governments worldwide would no longer tolerate what the company described as unnecessary extra fees. per Reuters.
It’s still missing in this country
Do you game on your iPhone? | Image by PhoneArena
Australia is the only country where Fortnite isn’t available as of now. In the country-continent, Apple “continues to enforce many developer terms” that the court had found unlawful.
Last year, Fortnite came back to the US App Store, but the new development in the Apple vs. Epic saga is huge.
The critical moment
This is a critical moment in the battle against the App Store empire to win freedom for all developers and consumers, and we’ll continue the fight in every jurisdiction worldwide until competition is restored to digital stores and payment markets everywhere.
– Tim Sweeney, Epic Games CEO, May 2026
What’s more, Tim Sweeney says that Apple has allegedly told the Supreme Court that regulators around the world “are watching this case to determine what commission rate Apple may charge on covered purchases in huge markets outside the United States”.
In his words, this is “the beginning of the end” of the Apple Tax worldwide.
What’s the problem?
The “Apple Tax” is a slang term for the fee Apple charges app developers for sales made through the App Store. Apple usually takes a 15% to 30% cut from app purchases, subscriptions, and in-app payments on iPhones and iPads. Since developers must use Apple’s system, many people believe these extra costs often lead to higher prices for users.Epic wasn’t keen on paying the Apple Tax.
In fact, in 2020, Epic bypassed Apple’s 30% commission by introducing a direct payment system inside Fortnite. This wasn’t funny to Apple and the game got banned instantly. Epic retaliated with an antitrust lawsuit and a viral marketing campaign, accusing Apple of maintaining an illegal, anti-competitive monopoly over iOS app distribution.
After years of fierce courtroom battles, US courts ultimately ruled that Apple was not an illegal monopolist, but did force the tech giant to allow developers to direct users to outside payment methods.
Fortnite is back on the App Store
Timeline:
Aug 13, 2020 – Apple removes Fortnite from the App Store. Reason: Epic added its own direct payment system to bypass Apple’s 30% commission. Epic files a lawsuit the same day.
Aug 28, 2020 – Apple terminates Epic’s developer… pic.twitter.com/h8lpnR06sH
— Viktor Seraleev (@seraleev) May 19, 2026
But what is Fortnite?
There’s a high chance that you’ve heard about the game itself, even if you’re not much of a mobile gamer yourself.Basically, multiple players drop onto an area and fight to be the last one standing (a battle royale, if you will). The game allows players to construct walls, ramps and forts in real time for cover.
It’s a giant platform where wildly different franchises coexist in ways that would never normally happen. One minute you can see characters from Star Wars fighting alongside God of War heroes, while Power Rangers and even Skibidi Toilet somehow exist in the same universe. It sounds chaotic, but many kids love it.
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