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Apple and Epic escalate their feud over Fortnite (Update: Apple statement)
June 20, 2025
Update, June 05, 2025 (4AM ET): Apple has now responded toEpic Gamesin a statement toThe Verge.
Apple says it “very much” wants to keep Epic on the Apple Developer Program but that it won’t make an exception for the studio in lieu of its customer protection guidelines.
Read the full statement by Apple toThe Vergebelow:
Epic Games, according toThe Information, is also set to rope in a number of other companies in what the publication’s calling a “coalition of Apple critics.” Epic has reportedly approached Spotify and Sonos, but it’s not yet clear if either company has joined the game developer’s fight.
Original article, June 17, 2025 (3:49 PM ET): Apple and Epic Games are intensifying their fight over Fortnite and App Store policies.
Apple haswarnedEpic that it’s shutting down the developer’s accounts on August 28, when it will also lose access to iOS and Mac developer tools. In response, Epic hasfiled a motionwith a federal court in California asking for a temporary restraining order to prevent Apple from shutting down the accounts, disabling Fortnite on users’ devices and removing Fortnite from the App Store.
Epic is likely to face “irreparable harm” without the order, the company’s attorneys told the court. It also claimed that it was “likely to succeed” in its antitrust lawsuit against Google and that it was in the “public interest.” Millions of players would be cut off, Epic said, while this reportedly wouldn’t hurt Apple while the lawsuit was underway.
We’ve asked Apple for comment.
Read more:Here’s how much Apple earned from Fortnite
Epic alsosued Googlefor removing Fortnite from the Play Store, but has yet to allege similar retaliation. Unlike with Apple devices, Epic can still provide Fortnite to Android users outside of the platform’s official store.
It’s not certain that Epic will get the order. The company knowingly violated App Store policies by offering a direct payment method for in-game Fortnite purchases rather than relying solely on Apple’s system, and had both a lawsuit and a marketing campaign ready to go when Fortnite was inevitably removed from the store. Apple may argue that it has the power to take action against developers that break its rules, particularly when the violations are intentional.
Whether or not Epic succeeds in obtaining an order, this newest legal move could draw further attention to Apple’s approach. Politicians in the US and elsewhere are concerned Applemight be abusing its controlof iOS app distribution to increase its revenues and thwart competitors, and those officials could take a closer look if there are retaliation claims — whether they’re merited or not.
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