Fortnite creator Epic Games loses its 2-year long fight against Apple, but there's still hope

In what seems to be another major blow to Epic Games (creators of Fortnite), they have lost their appeal to get Apple to change their App Store rules. This means that Apple will still be able to charge a 30% App Store fee for all in-app purchases. While the Battle Royale game has been removed from the App Store, Epic Games' subsidiaries still have applications in the App Store.

By the looks of it, all transactions carried out for the time being will be levied with the 30% tax. While the situation looks bleak for Epic Games, there is a silver lining at play. Even though Apple has won yet again, this is a temporary order, and things may change in the future.

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Supreme Court rules in favor of Apple, but that's not the end of the fight for Epic Games

As it stands, the injunction is a temporary one, and Apple will eventually need to file a supreme court appeal regarding the original 9th Circuit ruling. Judges will then need to agree to hear the case before a decision can be taken. According to the information at hand, Apple will have until later this year to file their case.

That said, while Apple can file a case in favor of the 30% tax that is levied for in-app purchases on the App Store, there's no guarantee of it succeeding. If the justices refuse to hear the case, the 30% tax that's being charged will eventually have to be dropped. If this were to happen, users will be able to circumvent Apple's system and pay via other means.

Nevertheless, given how long the legal battle has been going on, no decision will likely be made before the year is out. It all depends on how long Apple takes to submit their appeal and whether or not it will be heard in the first place. Depending on what happens, things can go in any direction. Sadly, none of this helps Fortnite in any way.

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If Epic Games wins the 30% tax removal appeal, will Fortnite be added back to the App Store?

Even if the legal system votes in favor of having Apple remove or allow users to circumvent the 30% in-app tax, Fortnite will still be banned from the App Store. Given that this all started with Epic Games allowing users to purchase V-Bucks directly to bypass the 30% tax being levied, things are not looking good.

Until the entire legal ordeal is over, as mentioned by Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, the application itself will not be allowed back on the App Store. The timeline in place at the moment has been set for five years but could be longer depending on numerous factors. By the looks of it, Fortnite players on iOS will be stuck in Chapter 2 for years to come.