Apple has blocked access to the online game Fortnite on iPhone devices in the United States and the European Union, according to the video game maker.

“Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the U.S. App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union,” the Fortnite X account said early Friday morning.

Reached for comment, an Apple spokesperson said that it had asked Epic Sweden to “resubmit the app update without including the U.S. storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies. We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces.”

Fortnite, which is owned by Epic Games, said that the game will be offline worldwide on iOS until Apple unblocks it. 

The game company said it submitted Fortnite to Apple for review last week in order to launch the program on the App Store in the U.S, according to an X post.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney on Thursday commented on Apple’s review process, saying in a post on social media the tech giant should “be free to review all submitted apps promptly and accept or reject according to the plain language of their guidelines.” 

Added Sweeney, “App Review shouldn’t be weaponized by senior management as a tool to delay or obstruct competition, due process, or free speech.”

Epic Games sued Apple in 2020 after Fortnite was removed from the App Store. In one of its lawsuits, it alleged Apple had built an illegal monopoly around its popular App Store. In January 2024, the Supreme Court ultimately rejected Apple’s appeal in the antitrust case.

Apple was hit with another antitrust in March 2024 from the Justice Department, which accused the company of stifling competition.

Epic Games launched Fortnite in 2017. Since then, the popular video game has amassed millions of users worldwide.

Source: CBS
--Agencies