A judge forced 'Fortnite' to return to iOS, with an assist from Microsoft and Spotify

You may have heard by now that after five excruciating years away, Fortnite is finally available on the iOS App Store again. While it's a big victory for developer Epic Games in its ongoing fight with Apple, Fortnite fans should also tip their caps to some other big tech companies.

Late last week, we reported that Fortnite was once again stuck in app store limbo. After Epic Games submitted the app for review, a court filing revealed that Apple would not approve the app unless the court told them to. And that's exactly what happened.

On Monday, May 19, Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers issued a court order for Apple to reinstate the game (or prove that it had a legal reason not to do so), and 24 hours later, Fortnite was back on iPhones, per The New York Times. This is the same judge who issued an extraordinary contempt order a few weeks ago, in which she accused Apple of deliberately violating her ruling in this case.

The latest order from the court was another undeniable victory for Epic Games, which has been providing regular updates on the app's approval on X (and throwing quite a bit of shade Apple's way in the process).

However, Epic got some assists along the way. Microsoft, for instance, filed an amicus brief on Tuesday in support of Epic's ongoing legal case against Apple, per The Verge. The Windows maker has wanted to launch a mobile Xbox store on iOS for a while now, but Apple's reluctance to allow apps to steer users to external payment sources (thus circumventing Apple's in-app purchase commissions) has prevented that from happening.

Music streaming giant Spotify can also claim some credit here, for a couple of reasons. One is that Spotify joined Microsoft, Meta, and X in filing a separate brief in support of Epic Games last year. Another is that, after a court order forced Apple to stop its external payment shenanigans, Spotify became the first big-name app to let users make payments outside of the app without any restrictions.

Epic and Apple have been embroiled in a legal battle over this issue since 2020, and the legal fallout is still ongoing for Apple. It's been quite the journey for the popular battle royale video game and its fans. Having said all that, it seems like the worst part is finally over, and people in the States can once again play their favorite game on their iPhones. Just remember the other tech company friends you made along the way.