“That Game Must Be Dead in the Water…”

After three years of being removed from the Apple App Store for violating platform rules, the best-selling FPS, Fortnite, may finally return to iOS again. This violation marked the start of an ongoing legal battle between the stakeholders. That is why this sudden announcement has baffled the fans. 

Fortnite was banned from the Apple Platform after Epic added a direct payment option to the game. This feature bypassed Apple’s in-app purchasing system. This was a severe violation of the App store rules. Ultimately, Apple decided to remove the game from the app store and put the blame directly on Epic. 

Fortnite is returning to Apple iOS

After the violation, Apple published a statement explaining the situation and cornering Epic for Violating the rules. The Statement was such:

“Today, Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users. As a result their Fortnite app has been removed from the store. Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services.

Epic has had apps on the App Store for a decade, and have benefited from the App Store ecosystem – including its tools, testing, and distribution that Apple provides to all developers. Epic agreed to the App Store terms and guidelines freely and we’re glad they’ve built such a successful business on the App Store. The fact that their business interests now lead them to push for a special arrangement does not change the fact that these guidelines create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users. We will make every effort to work with Epic to resolve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.”

DIVE DEEPER

But Epic didn’t take this statement lightly and decided to fight back with a lawsuit for removing their Fortnite from the Appstore. The CEO of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney said at that time, they will be fighting for their rights and for an open platform. He assured that “it’ll be a hell of a fight!“

And after 3 years of intense legal battle, Tim has come forward to announce that Fortnite may be back on iOS in 2023. 

What the fans said…

The fans were very mixed with this announcement. Many were skeptical about the tease and believed that this can’t be possible. Some even claimed that this doesn’t matter much as after 3 years, the game has lost its relevance.

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