Something big just happened in the Apple vs. Epic Games saga—and it could reshape how the entire mobile app economy works.

Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that Apple violated a 2021 court order by continuing to block developers from pointing users to their own payment options. Apple claimed it had followed the rules by letting links in—but then slapped on 27% fees and added pop-ups warning users about leaving the App Store. The court saw right through it. Apple wasn’t playing by the rules. It was stalling. And now it’s been found in contempt.

That’s a big deal. Because behind the legal drama is a much bigger shift in how power works online—especially for developers, and especially for anyone building in gaming or crypto.

What Epic Did Next

Epic didn’t waste any time. Tim Sweeney (Epic’s CEO) announced that Fortnite is coming back to iOS in the U.S., and more importantly, they’re launching something new: the Epic Games Store Webshop for iOS.

Here’s how it works: developers who sell through Epic’s Webshop pay 0% fees on the first $1 million in revenue, and 12% after that. That’s a massive drop from Apple’s 15%–30%. It’s not just cheaper—it’s a different model altogether. And one that gives developers a real alternative.

This matters for game devs. But it could matter even more for Web3 teams who’ve been boxed out of mobile entirely.

Why This Is Huge for Web3

Apple has made life hard for crypto apps. If you want to sell NFTs or use a crypto wallet, you're forced to go through Apple’s payment system—which takes a big cut and limits what you can actually do. Many crypto apps just give up or cripple their features to get through Apple’s review process.

But now? If Epic’s approach holds—and courts continue to support it—developers might finally be able to point users to their own payment flows, outside of Apple’s system, without being punished for it.

That opens up real possibilities for Web3 builders:

• You could use native wallets without Apple interference.
• Sell NFTs directly, with no forced 30% tax.
• Let users interact with smart contracts without hiding everything behind a WebView.
• In short, you could build how the tech was meant to work.

A New App Economy Is Taking Shape

What Epic’s doing is creating a new layer on top of iOS. It’s not a new app store, exactly—it’s more like a new front door. One that lets users interact with developers directly, without Apple in the middle of every transaction.

Others will follow. Web3 projects might build their own shops. Wallets could become discovery platforms. Whole ecosystems might grow outside the App Store—and Apple might not be able to stop it.

What’s Next?

Apple is appealing, of course. They’re calling the ruling a threat to user security and “irreparable harm” to their business. But the damage is done. The courts are watching. The developers are mobilizing. And the monopoly cracks are showing.

For game devs, this could mean real freedom to build, sell, and grow without Apple’s hand in every pocket.

For crypto teams, this could be the long-awaited moment to actually go mobile—without compromise.

And for Apple? The walls of the garden just got a little lower.