Apple Earned Over $100 Million From Fortnite - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

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

app store blue banner epic 1

Apple Asks Supreme Court to Throw Out App Store Contempt Ruling

Monday September 14, 2026 4:28 pm PDT by
Apple today filed its opening merits brief with the Supreme Court as it prepares to fight the contempt ruling that forced it to change its App Store rules. Apple is asking the Supreme Court to reverse or vacate the contempt order, which would return the App Store to its pre–2025 rules. The Supreme Court filing is part of Apple's ongoing legal battle with Epic Games, which has gotten more...
app store blue banner epic 1

EU Welcomes Apple's App Store Changes, Epic Slams 'Junk Fees'

Wednesday August 19, 2026 5:16 pm PDT by
Apple yesterday updated its App Store fees in the EU to comply with the Digital Markets Act and to put an end to its ongoing conflict with the European Commission. Apple cut the Core Technology Fee and simplified its pricing structure, so apps distributed through alternative marketplaces or through the web will pay less than before. When announcing the changes, Apple said it worked in "close ...
iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...

Top Rated Comments

ck2875 Avatar
70 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)
I7guy Avatar
70 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)
70 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)
70 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)
Eso Avatar
70 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)
MrTemple Avatar
70 months ago
One thing that struck me about switching to MacOS/iOS dev was the INCREDIBLE breadth and depth of framework apis and developer tools built out, then documented and demonstrated via super thorough WWDC training materials and courses.

And these apis (and the Swift language) are undergoing constant rapid development (with VERY little abandonment of frameworks or backwards compatibility, indeed actually a huge effort put in toward future compatibility).

And you can see SO much of this effort is done purely for the public API access. They would spend many tens of thousands fewer dev-hours if they were only doing it for the private apis and apps.

And this isn’t even to mention their dedication to accessibility (across so many stripes) that they practically hand you for free and regularly reinforce from the framework architectures right up to their developer training materials.

It is absolutely true to say that Apple develops a LARGE part of nearly every app on their store. And without those hundreds of thousands of Apple developer hours, the app-makers themselves would be on the hook for a stupidly massive undertaking to get anywhere NEAR the functionality they have.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)