Fortnite is back on the App Store after a lengthy legal battle between Apple and Epic Games.
Fortnite was kicked off the App Store in 2020 after Epic Games updated its in-game purchase mechanism to take direct payments instead of using Apple’s in-app payment system which takes fees up to 30%.
This angered Apple, sparking a legal battle. Epic won with a judge ruling that Apple couldn't charge commission when apps link out for payment, or dictate whether the links look like buttons.
This led to Fortnite being submitted to the U.S. App Store where it must pass an App review. Apple dragged it out to 9 May and the Fortnite app was finally reviewed.
While winning the court ruling, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney told Business Insider that it resulted in a loss of revenue for the company. The legal fees cost more than US$100 million to Epic.
“We can't predict exactly how much we would have made on iOS, but in the two years that we were on the platform, Fortnite had made about $300 million on iOS,” he said.
“So you could have projected hundreds of millions of dollars of lost revenue as a result of the fight.”
Apple's App Store fees are integral to Apple’s business. They’re reported in Apple’s Services business, which also includes advertising, AppleCare warranties, payments, and subscription offerings such as Apple TV+.
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