Epic Games has been eagerly awaiting Apple's approval to reinstate Fortnite on the US iOS App Store for nearly a week. In an effort to expedite the process, Epic's CEO, Tim Sweeney, has turned to social media platform X to publicly call out Apple. On Thursday, Sweeney brought attention to various Fortnite lookalikes that are currently available on the App Store, making a direct appeal to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
In one of his posts, Sweeney shared screenshots of the App Store listing for a game named Fort Battle Royale Epic Shoot. The images revealed a game designed with graphics reminiscent of Fortnite, but a closer inspection confirmed that it was not the authentic Fortnite experience. Sweeney tweeted, “Hey @AppStore, can we get the real Fortnite up pls?” This plea highlights the ongoing issue of counterfeit games on the platform.
Following Sweeney's tweet, it was reported that Fort Battle Royale Epic Shoot was removed from the App Store. However, another Fortnite clone, Epic Survival Battle Royale 3D, remains available for download as of this writing. This incident raises questions about Apple's enforcement of its own policies, as the company has a history of allowing unofficial imitations of popular games to slip through the cracks.
Sweeney also responded to a post made by Tim Cook earlier that day. He wrote, “Hi Tim. How about if you let our mutual customers access Fortnite? Just a thought.” This comment underscores the ongoing tension between Epic Games and Apple, especially after the April 30th ruling in the Epic Games v. Apple case, which prohibited Apple from charging fees on purchases made outside the App Store.
On May 9th, Sweeney announced that Epic had submitted Fortnite for re-approval to Apple, anticipating a return to the US iOS App Store “next week.” Apple's website indicates that “on average, 90 percent of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours,” yet the app has not yet received the green light.
According to Sweeney, the company submitted a new version of Fortnite because “we need to release a weekly Fortnite update with new content this Friday, and all platforms must update simultaneously.” Unfortunately, as of Thursday, that updated submission has also not been approved. Sweeney remarked, “We don’t have an update on our Fortnite submission to the App Store. Apple has neither accepted nor rejected it. So the Friday update to Fortnite is now in jeopardy.”
As the situation continues to unfold, it remains uncertain whether Epic will delay the planned Friday update for Fortnite across all platforms due to the lack of approval from Apple. Both Apple and Epic Games have yet to respond to requests for further comments on the matter.
