Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney Calls Apple a Liar

Fortnite won’t be returning to the iOS App Store any time soon, it could probably take years. This emerges from emails posted by Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney on Twitter.

Actually, many observers have assumed that after the first important judgment in the dispute between Epic Games and Apple Fortnite will quickly find its way back to the App Store. But Epic’s iOS developer account has been banned since August 2020 for willful violations of the App Store guidelines, and even after the ruling in the middle of the month, the status of Epic’s iOS apps – especially Fortnite – remains unclear.

“Apple lied,” says the Epic Games CEO

The emails now published by Tim Sweeney indicate that Epic is unlikely to get its apps back in the App Store any time soon. A letter published by Sweeney – dated September 21 and sent by lawyers representing Apple – informs the company that Apple will not unblock Epic’s developer account until the appeals are resolved. What is meant are the objections that Epic Games lodged after the verdict was announced in mid-September.

These issues, which Epic still wants to clarify, will result in more legal proceedings – and that means there is a high probability that a new lawsuit will begin that could take years. Then there should be nothing with the return of Fortnite in the next few years. Epic has already paid financial damages for breaching its contract. “Apple has used its discretion not to restore Epic’s account for the developer program at this point in time,” the email said.

In addition, Apple will not consider any further restitution requests until the District Court ruling is final. The message states that the judge in Epic v Apple has concluded that Apple has the right to delete all Epic-related accounts from the App Store if they so choose.