Fortnite is back on Apple’s App Store in Australia, a day after the country’s Federal Court ordered Apple to open up iOS to rival app stores and payment systems.
Epic Games confirmed the return in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on October 21st, saying the court had told Apple to open up iOS “after finding they violated competition law.” The changes the court ordered are due to take effect in Australia in March 2027.
What changes for iOS in Australia
According to Epic, iOS will be opened to third-party app stores, and Australian users will be able to download apps directly from developers. Developers will also be allowed to offer only their own alternative payment systems, and Apple will not be able to require them to offer its in-app purchase (IAP) system.
Epic said Apple will no longer be able to block developers from pointing users to purchases outside their apps. The company added that Apple will be barred from charging what Epic called “junk fees” on purchases made in third-party app stores. Epic described the ruling as “great news for developers worldwide and iOS users in Australia.”
Epic’s reaction
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called the remedies in the Australian Epic v Apple antitrust case “a huge victory for consumers and developers” in his own post. “We are studying the verdict and will share more soon,” he said.
Sweeney said the court had “freed Fortnite in Australia” and that the game will return “alongside the Epic Games Store…soon.” Epic is the developer of Fortnite and runs the Epic Games Store, its own digital storefront for PC games. Neither post included a response from Apple.
