Fortnite returns to the App Store worldwide, a year after its return to the United States

Fortnite is back on the App Store worldwide… except Australia. (Sorry, folks.) The battle royale game has been back on the US App Store since last year, following a nearly five-year ban resulting from Epic’s seemingly endless legal battle with Apple.

Epic suggested it was confident enough in the face of political headwinds to make the game installable again on (most) iOS devices worldwide. The company is counting on U.S. federal courts to force Apple to disclose operational costs related to App Store fees. Epic believes that “once Apple is forced to show its costs, governments around the world will not allow Apple’s unwanted charges to continue.”

However, Fortnite could also use boost. In March, Epic announced it would lay off about a quarter of its workforce. The company also removed several game modes, including Fortnite Ballistics And Festival Battle Scene. Meanwhile, the game Rocket Race The mode will disappear in October.

Citing the declining numbers of its flagship game, CEO Tim Sweeney alluded to its mobile player base. “We are only in the early stages of going back to mobile and optimizing Fortnite for the billions of smartphones around the world; and by being at the forefront of the industry, we have taken a lot of bullets in a battle that is only just beginning and is paying off, for ourselves and for all developers. »

As for Australia, Epic says it is holding out because Apple continues to enforce the terms under which the Fortnite the publisher believes they are illegal. Epic said Australian courts “have found many of Apple’s development terms to be unlawful, and yet Apple continues to enforce those terms. Epic is now asking the court to stop Apple’s unlawful conduct and issue orders that will benefit all app developers and iOS users.”