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Judge Orders Apple to Address Fortnite App Block or Face Court Hearing

By  |  May 19, 2025

Apple is under pressure to resolve its ongoing dispute with Epic Games over the reintroduction of Fortnite to its iOS App Store, or it could be compelled to justify its stance in court. The directive came from U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who on Monday ordered the tech giant to either comply with the court’s previous ruling or prepare to defend its decision in a hearing later this month.

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    According to CNBC, the latest clash began when Epic Games attempted to resubmit Fortnite to the App Store, only to face a roadblock from Apple. Epic responded by filing a motion to enforce an earlier injunction that would allow the popular game back on the platform.

    Judge Rogers made it clear in her order that the situation could be resolved without further legal wrangling, stating, “Apple is fully capable of resolving this issue without further briefing or a hearing.” She warned that if the impasse continues, an Apple executive responsible for compliance must appear in person at a hearing scheduled for May 27 in the Northern District of California.

    Per CNBC, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney claimed on social media that Apple did not formally accept or reject the Fortnite submission, but instead said it would “ignore it until after the 9th Circuit Court rules on their stay request.” That decision is not expected until late May or June.

    Read more: Apple Seeks Emergency Intervention from Appeals Court in Epic Games Legal Clash

    The judge noted that nearly two weeks had passed without the Ninth Circuit granting Apple’s request for a stay of the injunction. She also instructed both parties to submit legal arguments explaining Apple’s justification for delaying compliance with the court’s order.

    The roots of the dispute stretch back to 2020, when Apple removed Fortnite from its App Store after Epic implemented a direct payment option, bypassing Apple’s required in-app purchase system. The move led to a legal battle that culminated in a 2021 ruling, where Apple largely prevailed but was forced to relax some of its restrictions on linking to outside payment systems.

    More recently, in a late April ruling, Judge Rogers found that Apple had misrepresented key information in court. She determined that a senior Apple executive gave false testimony about the timing of a policy requiring a 27% commission on certain external purchases—a policy that contradicted the court’s expectations that such off-app transactions would not be subject to Apple’s fees. Apple has indicated that it plans to appeal.

    In the wake of that ruling, other major developers like Spotify and Amazon’s Kindle have resubmitted their apps to support external purchases. Apple has approved both, a move that further highlights its selective application of the rules—a central issue in the ongoing standoff with Epic.

    Source: CNBC