Summary
What should have been a simple course of action to approveFortnite’s return to Apple’s App Storeafter a near five-year absencehas since turned into a debacle that has pitted the tech giant againstEpic Games.
Now, a United States district judge has got involved to find out what exactly is going on.
Apple Must Show Reason Why It Hasn’t Approved Of Fortnite’s Return
As first shared on social media by Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has filed a new order that explicitly requires Apple to “show cause” as to why it has ignored the original injunction.
“Obviously, Apple is fully capable of resolving this issue without further briefing or a hearing,” the document read.
According to a follow-up post from Sweeney, “Apple didn’t accept or reject our Fortnite submission. They simply said they were going to ignore it until after the 9th Circuit Court rules on their stay request, which would be in late May or June.”
Originally,Fortnite was supposed to return to iOS devices in the U.S. well over a week ago. At the time, it was unclear why exactly the game had not been approved to return to the App Store,especially considering the fact that Apple itself touts a 24-hour review period for 90 percent of apps.
As the California-based company continued to linger,Sweeney took to social media to air out his grievances. Whether it was criticizing Apple’s new messaging related to third-party payments or the number of “Fortnite” clones that exist, Sweeney has rarely held back.
All of this has helped to create a scenario where nobody wins. Consumers can’t play the game they want; Epic can’t put a near-decade-long suit behind them and Apple is now in position to be on the receiving end of legal action.
