It looks like Fortnite is finally returning to Apple’s App Store

It’s official: Fortnite is heading back to the iOS App Store in the US. A California judge ruled that Apple willfully violated a court order by banning Epic Games from its platform, despite being legally told not to.

“Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated,” wrote Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. “This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order…The Court will not tolerate further delays.”

If you’ve lost track of the Apple vs Epic feud, it all started back in 2020. Epic accused Apple of running an “unlawful monopoly” by taking a 30% cut of in-app purchases. Apple responded by deleting Epic’s developer account. That move—now ruled as anticompetitive—kicked Fortnite off the App Store entirely.

Now, the court says Apple crossed the line again. Not only did it defy the spirit of the injunction, but it also actively tried to dodge it. Judge Rogers even called out Apple’s VP of Finance, Alex Roman, for lying under oath. “Apple knew exactly what it was doing and at every turn chose the most anticompetitive option,” she wrote.

As of today, Apple is legally barred from blocking developers from linking to outside payment methods. They also can’t slap on new fees to replace the old ones. In short, Apple can’t just invent a new Apple Tax to sidestep the ruling.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate: “We will return Fortnite to the US iOS App Store next week,” he posted. He also offered a peace deal: if Apple applies the same “friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework” globally, Epic will drop all ongoing lawsuits.