Apple Doesn’t Have To Reinstate Fortnite To The App Store, Judge Rules

Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store in August after Epic Games intentionally circumvented Apple’s mandatory 30% fee, claiming in a lawsuit that Apple’s App Store policies are anticompetitive.

U.S. District Judge Yvonnne Gonzalez Rogers wasn’t convinced that Fortnite should be allowed on the App Store while it flouts Apple’s rules. “Epic Games cannot simply exclaim ‘monopoly’ to rewrite agreements giving itself unilateral benefit,” she said.

Epic Games did notch a victory, though, because the judge also ruled that Apple can’t ban Unreal Engine, which is also owned by Epic Games.

“We’re grateful the court recognized that Epic’s actions were not in the best interests of its own customers and that any problems they may have encountered were of their own making when they breached their agreement,” Apple said in a statement.

In a statement, an Epic spokesperson said the company is “grateful that Apple will continue to be barred from retaliating against Unreal Engine and our game development customers as the litigation continues. We will continue to develop for iOS and Mac under the court’s protection and we will pursue all avenues to end Apple’s anti-competitive behavior.”