If Fortnite does return to the U.S. App Store this week, it won’t be before Thursday or Friday. That’s according to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, who shared an update on the long-awaited comeback today.
Fortnite has been absent from the App Store in the U.S. since 2020, when Epic Games slipped a direct payment option for V-Bucks into the app—deliberately violating Apple’s rules. The move was a calculated protest against Apple’s 30% commission on in-app purchases, and it sparked a years-long antitrust battle between the two companies.
Last week, Epic claimed victory after a federal judge ruled that Apple could no longer block developers from linking to or advertising external payment methods. The ruling also prohibited Apple from applying a 27% commission on out-of-app purchases initiated through in-app links.
In the days since, companies like Epic, Stripe, Patreon, and Spotify have begun embracing the new guidelines that Fortnite helped bring about.
To reintroduce Fortnite to the App Store, Epic is now using its EU developer account after Apple terminated its original U.S. account. But for reasons still unclear, the submission process has yet to finish—and a midweek launch is officially off the table.
“Not Monday or Tuesday,” Sweeney posted on Sunday. “Beyond that, we’re working as hard as possible and aren’t certain what day it will be ready.” He followed up today with: “Update: Not Wednesday. Still working on the update.”
Fortnite may not be back yet, but Backbone Pro is ready when the game returns.
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