Epic Games has announced that Fortnite has returned to Apple App Stores worldwide, as its years-long legal battle with Apple continues.

“Fortnite is returning to the App Store now because we are confident that once Apple is forced to show its costs, governments around the world will not allow Apple junk fees to stand,” Epic Games said in a statement. “We will continue to challenge Apple’s anticompetitive App Store practices of banning alternative app stores and competition in payments.”

“We’ve seen momentum around the world to address these practices, with regulators passing laws in Japan, the European Union and the United Kingdom – but time and time again Apple has evaded the laws with scare screens, fees and onerous requirements.”

“It’s time for regulators to truly enforce the laws so developers and consumers around the world can benefit from an open and fair mobile app ecosystem.”

Epic notes that the game has not yet returned to the App Store in Australia, as it waits for Apple to revoke its terms following Epic’s victory in court.

“We’ve not returned to the Australia App Store yet,” Epic Games said. “There, Epic won its court case against Apple, the Court found many of Apple’s developer terms are unlawful, and yet Apple continues to enforce those terms.”

“Epic is now asking the Court to bring Apple’s unlawful conduct to an end and to make orders that will benefit all app developers and iOS users. Epic can’t return under an illegal payment arrangement with Apple, so unless Apple agrees to adopt lawful payment terms in the interim, we must wait for a Court decision.”

Fortnite was removed from the App Store in 2020 after Epic attempted to bypass Apple’s platform fees by offering a direct payment option, which offered discounts on purchases if used. Apple responded by removing the game and terminating Epic’s developer account, leaving millions of people unable to access Fortnite on iOS.

At the same time, Epic also began waging war on Apple in the courtroom, as the developer sued the company over its platform fees, which sees Apple take a 30% cut from all sales, while also banning alternative payment methods outside its ecosystem.