Fortnite conspiracy: Millions of players in Austria in front of a closed door!

Fortnite conspiracy: Millions of players in Austria in front of a closed door!

Since May 18, 2025, the popular game Fortnite has no longer been available in Austria via iOS. The reason for this drastic measure is an escalating dispute between Apple and Epic Games, which affects both the European and the US market. Fortnite has not only disappeared from the Apple App Store in the USA, but also in Europe, which leaves millions of players in front of closed doors. Epic Games had tried to submit a uniform app version for both markets, which Apple rejects. Apple will only resume the app if the ongoing court dispute in the United States is clarified.

In an official announcement by Fortnite, it says: "Apple has blocked our fortnite submission so we canon release to the us app store or to the epic games store for iOS in the European Union." Epic Games has also announced that Fortnite is offline worldwide as long as the blockade remains.

background of the conflict

The conflict between Apple and Epic Games has a long history. On May 1, 2025, Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, announced that Fortnite was facing a return to the US iOS App Store. This announcement fell after a court ruling that had decided in favor of Apple. Epic Games had lost a legal dispute against the tech giant, which led to the removal of Fortnite from the App Store. SWEENEY suggested a “peace offer” at the time: If Apple would expand its existing regulations worldwide, Epic would drop all the associated legal disputes.

Changes in the App Store Regelwerk

as part of the ongoing legal dispute and after a decision that was in favor of Epic Games, Apple has announced changes in the rules of the US app store. These changes allow developers to inform their users about alternative payment methods outside of the in-app purchase and include adjustments in the app review process. These include permission to insert links to external payment providers.

The effects of the conflict between Epic Games and Apple are not only shown in the cancellation of one of the most popular games in the world, but also in the broader discussion about the business model of platform providers and the rights of the developers. Initial reactions from other app developers, such as Spotify, indicate that many are willing to use these changes and adapt their own business models.

For Fortnite fans, however, it only remains to be seen whether and when the game will be available again on iOS.