STOCKHOLM, May 16 (Reuters) - Epic Games' "Fortnite"

video game was not available on Apple's ( AAPL ) iPhone devices

in the European Union and the United States on Friday.

Access to Fortnite via Apple's ( AAPL ) iPhone Operating System and

through its App Store will be unavailable worldwide until Apple ( AAPL )

unblocks it, Epic Games said.

Epic Games did not give a reason why Fortnite was blocked,

but Apple ( AAPL ) said it had asked Epic Sweden to resubmit the app

update without including the U.S. storefront 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 ( AAPL )

spokesperson said.

Epic, a U.S.-based studio, backed by China's Tencent ( TCTZF )

, is the world's largest game studio. It was launched

in 2017 and its last-player-standing, "battle royale" format

became an instant hit, drawing millions of players.

Since 2020, it has been in a legal battle with Apple ( AAPL ), after

the gaming firm alleged that Apple's ( AAPL ) practice of charging a

commission of up to 30% on in-app payments violated U.S.

antitrust rules.

Late on Friday, Epic Games asked a U.S. judge in

California to hold Apple ( AAPL ) in contempt for blocking the return of

"Fortnite" to the App Store in the U.S. In a court filing, Epic

said Apple ( AAPL ) should be required, as part of a prior court ruling

to allow the distribution of Fortnite.

Apple's ( AAPL ) blocking of the app was "blatant retaliation

against Epic for challenging Apple's ( AAPL ) anticompetitive behavior

and exposing its lies to the court," Epic's filing added.

Apple ( AAPL ) did not immediately respond to a request for comment

on the filing outside regular business hours.

Apple ( AAPL ) banned Fortnite from its store in 2020 but allowed the

game back last year following pressure from European Union

authorities for Big Tech companies to comply with the bloc's

Digital Markets Act.

Last year, it also approved Epic Games' marketplace app on

iPhones and iPads in Europe.

Epic Games also won a case against Apple ( AAPL ) earlier this month.