Apple Earned Over $100 Million From Fortnite

Apple collected more than $100 million in revenue from the 30 percent cut that it takes from Fortnite in-app purchases, according to testimony provided by App Store gaming business development head Michael Schmid, who shared the detail in the ongoing Epic v. Apple trial.

fortnite apple featured
As noted by Bloomberg, Schmid offered the $100 million figure as a rough estimate, and declined to provide a specific dollar amount because that would be "inappropriate."

Sensor Tower last year estimated that Fortnite players have spent $1.2 billion on in-app purchases in the ‌App Store‌, which would have netted Apple $354 million. Fortnite has been on the ‌App Store‌ since 2018, and prior to its removal, it was a highly popular iOS game.

According to Schmid, Apple spent $1 million marketing for Fortnite in its last 11 months on the ‌App Store‌.

Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi is testifying in the Epic v. Apple trial today, following Phil Schiller's testimony earlier this week. Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to take the stand on Friday, where he will answer questions for 100 minutes.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple 'Sherlocked' These Apps at WWDC 2025

Wednesday June 11, 2025 7:14 am PDT by
Apple at WWDC previewed a bunch of new features coming in its updated operating systems, but certain changes will have been met with dismay by third-party developers who already offer apps with equivalent or similar features. In other words, their product has been "sherlocked" by Apple. When Apple creates an app or a feature that has functionality found in a third-party app, it is referred...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025 in 10 Minutes

Monday June 9, 2025 5:21 pm PDT by
At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 Apple Wallet Boarding Passes

Apple Lists 10 Airlines Set to Offer iOS 26's Upgraded Boarding Passes

Wednesday June 11, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
As we previously reported, iOS 26 enhances Apple Wallet app boarding passes in a few ways. First, the passes now support Live Activities, allowing you to keep track of a flight at a glance on your iPhone's Lock Screen, and in the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and newer. In addition, new shortcuts below the passes provide one-tap access to Apple Maps for airport directions, and to the Find...

Top Rated Comments

ck2875 Avatar
53 months ago
Gets out Rough Estimate Calculator:

Apple's 100m = 30/100 = 100m/333m.

333m x 70/100 = 233m.

So if Apple made over $100m from Fortnite on iOS, Epic made over $233m from having their game on iOS.


(Advice to future self: Avoid letting your children anywhere near Free-to-Play money/fire pits.)
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GizmoDVD Avatar
53 months ago

Hope Apples store tax will be reduced or removed. Apples monopoly needs to end.
Go yell at every other store making money. And target. And Walmart. And grocery stores. And gas stations. And
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
53 months ago

Totally justified. It's very expensive for Apple for iOS fortnite players to launch the fortnite app, log in to their fortnite account, connect to EPIC's servers, and download virtual content produced by EPIC'S employees that is hosted and distributed by EPIC. After all, Apple has to process the payments for all that digital content purchased from some other company and hosted by someone else's property (due to self self-inposed rules which has apparently netted them a cool $100 million).
Absolutely. Apple built a platform costing how many $$$. For a paltry $99 and blood, sweat and tears, you can publish an app, with a complete management and distribution platform while giving access to the app to over 1 billion devices.

Seems like a fair deal.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eso Avatar
53 months ago
Totally justified. It's very expensive for Apple for iOS fortnite players to launch the fortnite app, log in to their fortnite account, connect to EPIC's servers, and download virtual content produced by EPIC'S employees that is hosted and distributed by EPIC. After all, Apple has to process the payments for all that digital content purchased from some other company and hosted by someone else's property (due to self self-inposed rules which has apparently netted them a cool $100 million).
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GizmoDVD Avatar
53 months ago

Totally justified. It's very expensive for Apple for iOS fortnite players to launch the fortnite app, log in to their fortnite account, connect to EPIC's servers, and download virtual content produced by EPIC'S employees that is hosted and distributed by EPIC. After all, Apple has to process the payments for all that digital content purchased from some other company and hosted by someone else's property (due to self self-inposed rules which has apparently netted them a cool $100 million).
Damn.

Absolutely. Apple built a platform costing how many $$$. For a paltry $99 and blood, sweat and tears, you can publish an app, with a complete management and distribution platform while giving access to the app to over 1 billion devices.

Seems like a fair deal.
It’s like people ignore that. Apple isn’t a charity.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djphat2000 Avatar
53 months ago

And this is why the current system has to go. Apple doesn’t deserve a fraction of this, whatever nonsense excuses the fanboys grasp for.
So what do they deserve to get? What's the number? Cause I can almost 100% guarantee that the other business will want it to be zero.
Listen, Apple didn't make the AppStore for free. They didn't make the iPhone for free. They get to charge as much as the market will bare. If they charge too much, people/business will not pay and leave the platform. If they charge the right amount, people/business will continue to pay. This is generally how it works, how it's always worked. There is no monopoly here, they don't own all cell phones, and or appstore's. If any developer does not want to pay the 30% fee. They simply don't have to charge anything for the app. There is like 10's of thousands of apps on the app store that is free. Apple doesn't charge for any of that. Should they?

IAP can be simple to fix. Just a message in the app that says "You can't purchase here". Make an Ad on TV or other media outlets that tells the public how to get your IAP online via the web or other means that will work. And done. Spend millions on those Ads to make sure people get the message. And you owe Apple ZERO DOLLARS.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)