Apple banned Epic Games’ developer account in 2020. Yet, the latter’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, confirmed last week that Fortnite will return to the U.S. App Store after a judge blasted Apple for not complying with the court’s order.
Wondering how? Sweeney revealed the secret, saying Epic Games will use their EU account.
Epic Games’ EU account will help in Fortnite‘s return
Last week, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ordered Apple to immediately allow developers to collect payments from third-party sources without charging them transaction fees. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney took to Twitter soon after, celebrating the win and revealing that they will relist Fortnite on the U.S. App Store next week.
This led many to question how Epic Games would do this since Apple banned its developer account a few years ago. Responding to a similar question on X, Tim Sweeney revealed that Epic Games will use its Sweden account to submit Fortnite to the U.S. App Store. The company “conversed with Apple on the topic.”
We have conversed with Apple on the topic and will use our Epic Games Sweden account to submit Fortnite to the US App Store. We created this account last year to launch Epic Games Store and Fortnite in the European Union, and Apple required an EU-domiciled account.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 3, 2025
Epic Games created its Sweden account in 2024 to list Epic Store Games and Fortnite in the European Union. The App Store rules required the company to list these games with an EU-domiciled account.
Ironically, Apple initially banned this account and called Epic “verifiably untrustworthy.” It relented a few days later, reinstating the developer account.
Apple appeals against the court’s decision
Apple filed its notice of appeal to the Ninth Circuit on Monday against the court’s ruling from last week. This won’t affect Fortnite‘s return to the App Store, though.
The company also updated the App Store rules to comply with the court order last week. Spotify and other major apps have already rolled out updates to capitalize on the new regulations, allowing them to direct users to third-party payment options.
