No Fortnite on the App Store in the next 5 years? Appeal could backfire on Epic

The battle between Epic Games and Apple continues. Earlier this month, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple must allow App Store developers to redirect users to other payment systems. The judge sided with Apple on all other claims, leading Apple to call the decision a "resounding victory" and Epic to appeal.

Now, Apple has reportedly denied Epic's request to reinstate the developer's account, which would allow it to return Fortnite to the App Store.

Judge Rogers' ruling upheld Apple's decision to terminate Epic's developer account last year. The ruling also does not require Apple to reinstate the Epic account and allow Fortnite to return to the App Store, leaving that decision solely up to Apple.

In a series of somewhat hysterical tweets posted yesterday, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said Apple has denied Epic's request to restore the developer's account.

Apple's legal team wrote in an official notice that Apple will not allow Fortnite to return to the App Store until the judge's decision is final. That is, until all court appeals have been exhausted, which could be five years from now.

Sweeney calls this another "extraordinary anti-competitive move by Apple" that demonstrates "their power to reshape markets and pick winners and losers."

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