The battle royale may rage on in Fortnite, but the real-world standoff that kept the game off major mobile app stores is finally easing. Fortnite is back on the Google Play Store, according to a post from the company on X.
It's been five years since publisher Epic Games initiated a legal battle against Apple and Google over the companies' app store fees, which led to Fortnite being removed from both companies' app stores. In May, Fortnite returned to iOS devices, and as of Thursday, Dec. 11, it's back in the Android device store. Even those who had downloaded the popular game before the legal battle will have to download it again, as their game will not have received updates in the five years since the dispute began and has eventually become unplayable.
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The game's return comes a month after Epic Games and Google reached a court settlement over fees and other changes aimed at improving competition on the platform.
Epic Games initially sued Google in 2020 after the tech giant removed Fortnite from the Google Play Store saying Epic violated the platform's rules. Epic ultimately won its case against Google in 2023, but the appeals process only came to an end this year. As for Apple, Epic Games won its case back in 2021, but the two companies have continued to engage in legal battles since then. Fortnite returned to the App Store in May.
Epic Games also had a legal fight with Samsung, which also removed the game in 2023, but it was returned earlier this year.
Why was Fortnite removed from the Google Play Store?
In 2020, Epic Games challenged Apple and Google over their 30% cut of in-app purchases, introducing a way for players to pay outside the official app stores. In response, both companies removed Fortnite for violating store rules. Epic then sued, sparking a five-year legal battle. In May, Fortnite returned to the App Store after a judge ruled that Apple's restrictions on web transactions were anticompetitive.