Fortnite is the No. 1 game after Apple let it back on the App Store. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney tells us it's a 'priceless' win.
The popular game Fortnite is back on the US App Store after a 5-year legal battle with Apple, and Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney tells Business Insider it represents a "priceless" win for app makers everywhere.
While the game quickly shot to the top of the App Store's games rankings less than 24 hours after launching, its reappearance was years in the making — and costly for Epic, which makes the game. Sweeney previously told BI's Peter Kafka that his fight with Apple over in-app purchases has cost it more than $1 billion since 2020.
Prior to the legal feud, Apple's App Store rules required that Fortnite players — and all other iOS users — make in-app purchases exclusively through the App Store, where Apple takes up to a 30% cut of each transaction. In the summer of 2020, Epic intentionally broke these rules, prompting Apple to remove Fortnite from iPhones and iPads, which in turn sparked Epic's lawsuit.
In an email exchange with BI after Fortnite went live on the US App Store, we asked Sweeney if the protracted court battle and legal fees were worth it.
"Yes," he said. "These newly recognized freedoms are priceless."
"The freedoms developers have gained in the United States and Europe on iOS must be brought to the rest of the world," Sweeney told BI. "I hold out hope of Apple and Google doing that themselves, proactively, rather than being subject to waiting for different and potentially contradictory new laws to be passed around the world."
Epic Games is in a similar legal battle with Google over its app store rules.
Fortnite is BACK on the App Store in the U.S. on iPhones and iPads... and on the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the E.U! It'll show up in Search soon!
Get Fortnite on the App Store in the U.S. ➡️ https://t.co/HQu3pYCXFm pic.twitter.com/w74QPFFkOS
— Fortnite (@Fortnite) May 20, 2025
The US App Store approval came after US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers scheduled a May 27 hearing to address what Epic said was Apple's noncompliance with a prior injunction, questioning Apple's delay in approving Epic Games' May 9 submission for Fortnite's return to the US App Store.
A representative for Epic Games declined to comment further. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Business Insider. The company has previously said its App Store rules regarding payments help ensure the safety of its users.
Asked about the latest on his legal battle with Apple, Sweeney said it's ongoing.
"Apple is appealing the Court's anti-steering injunction enforcement ruling made in 2025 but the Court's ruling hasn't been stayed and appeal briefings will run through August 18," he said.
Spotify, Microsoft, and others backed Epic's opposition to Apple's motion to stay the court's ruling in amicus briefs filed this week, arguing that Apple's compliance with the order is beneficial to both developers and consumers.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Business News
26 minutes ago
- Time Business News
Drift Executor – Powering The Future of Task Execution
Drift Executor is a robust Roblox exploit that empowers users to customize their gameplay through various scripting capabilities. Whether you're looking to enhance your in-game performance, bypass certain restrictions, or simply modify game aspects, Drift Executor has you covered. With a diverse set of features and functionalities, this exploit pack is designed to cater to different user preferences. Drift Executor is a high-performance Roblox script executor designed to provide users with a seamless and safe scripting experience. Compatible with a wide variety of scripts and modules, it offers a clean, intuitive interface suitable for both beginners and advanced users. 🚀 Script Execution: Execute Lua scripts to modify in-game behavior and enhance gameplay. 🔧 Custom Scripts: Develop and integrate custom scripts to personalize your gaming experience. 🔒 Roblox Bypass: By using JJsploit, you can bypass certain Roblox restrictions and access additional features. 🎨 Game Modifier: Modify various game elements such as textures, models, and scripts to suit your preferences. As a respected tool within the Roblox community, Drift Executor stands out for its reliability, efficiency, and advanced features. Whether you're looking to enhance your gameplay with unique modifications or explore exploits, Drift Executor is the tool of choice for many Roblox users. Windows 7/8/10/11 (64-bit) Latest version of Roblox installed Roblox Player installed and updated Basic PC configuration recommended Disable antivirus or add an exception for Drift Executor for optimal performance Is Drift Executor safe to use? Ans- Yes, Drift Executor is 100% safe to use if downloaded from its official website – If it is downloaded from a random site, it is likely that your device might get infected with viruses or malwares. Can I use Drift Executor for free? Ans- Yes, the base version of Wave can be used for free. To unlock or access its premium features, you must buy its subscription. Can I use Drift Executor for Android/iOS? Ans- No, Drift executor can't be downloaded or used on Android and iOS devices. You can download for Android – KRNL and for iOS – Delta Executor. Can I run every script using Drift? Ans – Yes, Drift executor can be used to run or execute all Roblox scripts. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Tom's Guide
4 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
iOS 26 is going to put your passport on your iPhone — everything we know so far about Apple's Digital IDs
When iOS 26 arrives later this fall, it will bring a newfound capability to your iPhone — the ability to tote around a digital ID in the Wallet app based on your U.S. passport. That's a potentially significant addition. When you have to establish who you are, not many official documents carry the weight of a passport, which not only permits travel but establishes your residency, age and identity. The digital ID coming to iOS 26 won't be a complete stand-in for your physical passport, but it will serve a number of key purposes when you're asked to present an ID, either in the real world or with online apps. And it continues Apple's ongoing goal of turning your iPhone into the only device for payments and IDs, letting you keep your wallet in your pocket or even entirely at home. Here's what we know so far about the digital ID features in iOS 26 Wallet, along with some other changes that are part of the updated app that travelers will find relevant. Let's get the description straight from Apple and its iOS 26 preview page: In the Wallet app, you'll be able to "create a digital ID in Wallet using your U.S. passport." You'll then be able to flash that ID stored on your phone in many — though not all — of the places where a physical passport might work. That's where the "not all" part of the description above kicks in. When the Digital ID feature lands on your iPhone later this year, don't expect to be able to use it to hop on a flight to Istanbul or some other international destination. You'll still need a physical passport for that. Because there are more destinations in the world than international ones. According to Apple, the Digital ID card will work at supported TSA checkpoints for domestic travel. It can also be used to provide identity and age verification in other instances, particularly in apps. In that sense, it will work much like the state ID and drivers licenses that iOS already supports, at lest in the nine states and Puerto Rico that offer this feature. Those digital IDs are accepted at some TSA checkpoints and can be used to help verify your identity in apps, such as when you apply for a credit card online and need to prove you are who you say you are. That's difficult to say. The fine print on Apple's explainer page on the ID in Wallet feature lists 14 airports across the U.S. and Puerto Rico where state IDs work at TSA checkpoints. Presumably, the number will grow as digital IDs based on U.S. passports arrive. Again, that's not entirely clear. The feature is arriving this fall, and it's not part of the iOS 26 developer beta that's currently available for download. Presumably, it won't be part of the public beta that arrives in July either. This sounds like something we're going to have to wait until the fall release of iOS 26 to test out. However, if you don't mind some speculation on my part, I imagine it will be a lot like the process for applying for a digital ID with your drivers licenses or state ID card. And because I live in one of the places where that's supported, I can tell you a little bit about what that's like. When I applied for my state ID card, I had to scan both the front and back of my drivers license. I also had to snap a current photo using my iPhone's front camera. But that's not all. In California, at least, my iPhone walked my through taking addition shots — ones where I had to smile, close my eyes and tilt my head upward. My iPhone would vibrate to let me know when each of these extra shots had been collected with the FaceID camera. Then all of those shots and the ID card scans were transmitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles to make sure everything checked out. I imagine you'll also have to scan pages of your physical passport with your phone and submit similar photos for vetting by the U.S. Department of State. Correct, only U.S. passports can be used to create this Digital ID that's coming with iOS 26. Presumably, Apple would have to work with governments in other countries to offer a similar feature for citizens of the U.K., Australia and elsewhere. Apple introduced this feature in iOS 16, and its slowly grown over the last couple years. Besides Puerto Rico, the nine U.S. states where you can apply for a digital ID via the Wallet app are: Apple says more support from more states is coming. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Digital IDs based on U.S. passports won't be the only travel-related addition to Wallet when iOS 26 arrives. Apple is also promising beefed-up boarding passes from airlines when you add those tickets to Wallet. Boarding passes stored in the app are also going to include links to airport maps, not only helping you mind your way to your assigned gate but also what kind of services are nearby. Find Me support will be built in as well, so that you can track down luggage — presumably so long as you've equipped that luggage with one of Apple's AirTags. My favorite boarding pass addition coming to Wallet is support for Live Activities, which will be shareable. That way, you'll be able to directly share your ETA with anyone waiting for you at your destination directly from the Wallet app. As with the Digital ID, it's difficult to gauge how all this will work in the iOS 26 developer beta, as I imagine it will involve some degree of adoption by airlines. And testing those features is going to require a boarding pass, too. But come this fall, I'm eager to hit the road and see what Wallet has to offer on my next airport trip.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hurdle hints and answers for June 12, 2025
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine. There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown. An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle. If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered. SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Lightheaded. SEE ALSO: Apple's new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I'm tempted. WOOZY A glimmer. SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 11, 2025 SPARK A thread. SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 12 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 12, 2025 FIBER A popular hedgehog. SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for June 12 SONIC Wide open. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable AGAPE
