Fortnite Returns to Google Play Store in the US
After a five-year legal battle, Epic Games’ popular battle royale game, Fortnite, has returned to the U.S. Google Play Store following a court order. However, the company lost a little ground on its related lawsuit against Apple, which was also over in-app purchase restrictions and commission structure. Meanwhile, the game maker had recently settled its dispute with the tech giant over the percentage of in-app purchase sales that app developers had to share with the platforms.
Fortnite’s Return to Google Play Store
The game was removed from the Google Play Store in 2020 after Epic Games launched a version of Fortnite that routed around the existing in-app payment systems on iOS and Android devices. Consequently, Epic Games used that move to file antitrust lawsuits against both Apple and Google. In addition, the court ruled that Apple needed to allow developers to point to other payment mechanisms if they chose.
Apple’s Restrictions Partially Overturned
However, Apple has been fighting the specific terms of that agreement, which were today partially overturned by an appeals court that called some of the restrictions “overbroad.” Therefore, the new filing states Apple can tell developers not to make their links to payments bigger or more prominent than Apple’s own. Meanwhile, Apple is allowed to charge a fee on purchases made outside its App Store.
Epic Games Celebrates Return to Google Play Store
Moreover, Epic Games has reason to celebrate by returning to the Google Play Store after Google lost its court battle with the game developer, where it was ruled to have engaged in anticompetitive behavior. In addition, under the new agreement, Google allows app developers to point to alternative payment mechanisms and caps the fees Google could charge. Consequently, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called it a “comprehensive solution” that doubled down on Android as an open platform.
Apple Ruling
The Apple ruling is below: Epic v Apple – 9th Circuit Order – 20251211
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