PARIS, France (AFP) — Hit game “Fortnite” was unavailable on Apple’s digital App Store around the world on Friday, in the latest episode of a battle between the tech titan and publisher Epic Games.

While Fortnite, with its millions of daily players, was already unavailable to iPhone users in the United States (US), the block on downloads of the cartoonish multiplayer shooter now affects the entire globe.

“Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission… sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it,” Epic posted on X.

Apple told AFP it had asked Epic in Sweden to resubmit its app update “without including the US storefront of the App Store so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies”.

“We did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces,” an Apple spokesperson said.

Epic has for years battled tech giants over the commissions they charge for software downloaded through the official stores on operating systems like Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android.

These are historically the only way for most users to install programmes onto their devices.

Although it has secured wins in US courts and European Union digital regulations, Epic on Friday effectively accused Apple of slow-walking the vetting process it enforces before making an app or game available for users to download.

Epic said last week that it had submitted “Fortnite” for review for listing in the App Store in the United States.

As well as being “blocked” there, the publisher added that “Fortnite” was also unavailable in the European Union.

Fans there can usually download the game through the company’s own app store as the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which went into effect last year, requires Apple and other US tech giants to open up their platforms to competition.