Epic Confirms The Fortnite iOS Bad News We Were All Expecting
For the past couple of weeks, Apple and Epic have been feuding over the iOS App Store, Fortnite, and the cut of each in-game purchase Apple keeps for itself. Epic has long had an issue with the 30% cut platform holders take out of each purchase, which is standard across much of the industry. When Epic decided to roll out a new direct payment system that allowed the company to sidestep those fees, Apple responded by swiftly removing Fortnite from the App Store.
That move sparked a legal battle between Epic and Apple that could go on for months. Though Epic was initially seeking a court order against Apple in an effort to get Fortnite temporarily restored to the App Store, earlier this week a US District Judge denied that request. Until Apple and Epic's legal dispute is settled, it seems Fortnite won't be allowed back on the iOS App Store.
Apple has blocked your ability to update Fortnite on the App Store, and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices. As a result, Chapter 2 – Season 4 (v14.00) will not release on Apple devices on August 27.
More info: https://t.co/O1bgKgkZCp
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 26, 2020
While Fortnite's removal from the iOS App Store didn't have an immediate effect on iOS players, most of us suspected that they'd run into problems when it came time to update the game. Sure enough, Epic has confirmed that Apple is blocking its ability to update Fortnite, which unfortunately means that iOS players won't be able to participate in Chapter 2, Season 4 when that goes live on other platforms tomorrow.
Obviously, that's not ideal, but Apple has already made it clear that unless Epic brings Fortnite back in line with the App Store's terms, it won't allow the app to be hosted there. Once this update goes live tomorrow, iOS users will no longer be on the same version as other players.
Android users aren't out of luck entirely, unlike their iOS counterparts. While Google has also removed Fortnite from the Play Store, Android users still have the option of installing the game through the Samsung Galaxy Store or through the Epic Games App. We'll see if things change on the iOS front, but with Apple and Epic ready to go toe-to-toe in court, the Fortnite situation on iOS isn't looking very hopeful.