According to CEO Tim Sweeney, Fortnite was submitted to Apple for review on May 9. Yesterday, he posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Apple hadn't approved the game's release (thanks, VGC).
"We need to release a weekly Fortnite update with new content this Friday, and all platforms must update simultaneously. So we have pulled the previous Fortnite version submitted to Apple App Review last Friday, and we have submitted a new version for review," the post read.
Since May 10, Sweeney has been sharing daily updates on X, saying that there was "no news" from Apple, in response to people asking about the review status.
Yesterday, an X user asked Sweeney how he "did not plan for this." The CEO response was as follows: "Our release planning relies on platforms supporting app developers like us releasing apps. There is no way a rapidly evolving multi-platform game like Fortnite can operate if platforms use their power or processes to obstruct."
As spotted by VGC, according to the App Review guidelines, on average, 90 percent of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours by Apple.
Epic and Apple are still battling over the app store
Related:Report: EA's new hybrid work policy requires a minimum of three days in-officeThis week's news is the latest in a series of developments around a years-long legal battle between the two companies to reinstate Fortnite on iOS. In January 2024, the game became available in the European App Store again. Two months later, Epic claimed that its European account had been "terminated," which was a "serious violation" of Europe's Digital Markets Act. The account was reinstated the next day.
"This sends a strong signal to developers that the European Commission will act swiftly to enforce the DMA and hold gatekeepers accountable," the company wrote in a statement at the time.
Then, in June of the same year, a new law passed by Japanese parliament opened the door for Epic to submit Fortnite to Apple Japan's App Store. The bill is set to take effect in late 2025. Back in December, the developer also secured a deal to preinstall the game onto Android phones in UK and Spain.
"Fortnite will now return to iOS in Japan and UK next year, and EU this year! This is the new free world, from the point of view of app developers and users. It’s a big club and we ain't in it: The United States of America is still locked behind Apple's Iron Curtain," Sweeney said on X in June 2024.
Disclosure: The author of this piece has previously contributed editorial work to the Epic Games Store News section.
