Sweeney Lashes Out After Apple Blocks Fortnite's Return

Epic's ongoing legal dispute with Apple concerning Fortnite's availability on iOS has escalated, as Epic claims Apple is obstructing its submission to prevent the game's return to the U.S. App Store.

Earlier this month, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney announced that Fortnite would come back to the U.S. iOS App Store and iPhones within days, following a major court decision.

On April 30, a U.S. Federal District Court in California ruled that Apple deliberately defied a court order in the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit. The order required Apple to let developers offer customers alternative payment methods outside their apps.

In January, IGN detailed how Sweeney invested billions of dollars in opposing Apple and Google's management of their app stores. Sweeney explained to IGN that he viewed this as a long-term investment in Epic and Fortnite's future, emphasizing the company's ability to sustain the battle for decades if needed.

Sweeney's persistent efforts to relaunch Fortnite on iPhones and Android devices while bypassing store fees are well known. The core issue is that Epic resists paying the standard 30% revenue share on mobile game sales. Instead, it aims to distribute Fortnite and other titles through its own mobile store, the Epic Games Store, free from Apple and Google's control and revenue cuts. In 2020, this conflict led to Fortnite's removal from iOS.

Following Sweeney's tweet, many anticipated Fortnite's return to iOS, but so far, it hasn't happened. Epic has now provided IGN with a statement updating the situation:

"Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission, preventing its release on the U.S. App Store and the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union. Unfortunately, Fortnite on iOS will remain unavailable worldwide until Apple reverses its decision."

This is a significant setback for Epic, which has missed out on billions in revenue since Fortnite was pulled from iPhones five years ago. Now, Tim Sweeney is reaching out to Apple CEO Tim Cook via social media, urging him to reconsider.

"Hi Tim. How about letting our shared customers access Fortnite? Just a thought."

Hi Tim. How about if you let our mutual customers access Fortnite? Just a thought.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 15, 2025

After the court's ruling, Apple was referred to federal prosecutors for violating the U.S. court order. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers stated, "Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated. This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order."

The judge referred Apple and Alex Roman, its vice president of finance, to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation into their conduct in the case. She noted that Roman's testimony regarding Apple's compliance efforts was "replete with misdirection and outright lies."

Apple responded at the time with a statement: "We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal." Last week, Apple requested that the U.S. appeals court pause the ruling in the Epic Games case.