Apple and Epic Games have been embroiled in a legal battle for several years, significantly impacting the mobile version of Fortnite, a widely popular battle royale game. The conflict primarily stems from Apple’s fees associated with microtransactions for apps available on its App Store. Recently, Epic Games achieved a significant court victory, leading to the planned return of Fortnite Mobile to Apple’s App Store in the United States next week.

Fortnite Mobile has been absent from the App Store since 2020. Epic Games initiated legal proceedings against Apple, claiming the tech giant engaged in potentially illegal practices related to its payment policies. A key point of contention was Apple’s requirement that developers use Apple Pay as their exclusive payment platform, allowing Apple to take a 30% cut from purchases.

Given the closed nature of iOS, this prevents developers from reaching a vast majority of Apple’s mobile user base, compelling them to comply with what many consider exploitative policies. Epic Games’ legal team ultimately found success, as a judge ruled against Apple regarding their fee collection practices. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers determined that Apple had committed a “willful violation” of a prior court order.

Although this order had initially favored Apple, it also restricted the company from setting competitive prices, meaning they could not charge fees for purchases made outside the App Store. The intention was for developers to direct users to their websites for in-app purchases at lower prices, sidestepping Apple’s fees. The judge criticized Apple’s failure to comply, calling it a significant miscalculation and even referred the case to federal prosecutors for potential criminal proceedings against Apple for contempt.

Epic Games’ CEO, Tim Sweeney, welcomed the ruling, announcing that Fortnite Mobile would indeed return to the U.S. App Store soon. He expressed openness to negotiations, stating that if Apple were to adopt a similar, more favorable framework globally, Epic Games would drop existing and future litigation on the matter. Although Fortnite returned to iOS in the EU last year, it was solely available through the Epic Games Store, which remains inaccessible in the United States.

In Europe, legal pressure forced Apple to allow alternative app stores to address its anti-competitive practices.