Fortnite is now reportedly coming back on the iOS devices. The developer Epic Games has been at loggerheads with Apple for years now over the iPhone maker’s strict rules against third-party sources.
Back ni 2020 Apple removed Fortnite from the Apple App Store due to the introduction of a third-party payment system.
Fortnite coming back on iPhone this year
Fortnite’s return to iOS will not be through the App Store but through a new Epic Games, Store for iOS, the company announced on X. The release date hasn’t been announced yet but it’s coming this year.
Fortnite will return to iOS in Europe in 2024, distributed by the upcoming @EpicGames Store for iOS. Stay tuned for details as we figure out the regulatory timeline. We’ll continue to argue to the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law. https://t.co/MHh6EGVinC
— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) January 25, 2024
The regulatory timeline is to be figured out yet so once that’s confirmed, the release date for Fortnite on iOS should be announced as well. EU’s crackdown on Big Tech companies like Apple will now require the very exclusive brand to open up its platforms to third-party sources. This is however only for iOS now and not for iPadOS so Fortnite won’t be making it to iPads.
Apple has very strict policies about third-party sources especially for services like app subscriptions, which require payments to be made only through Apple. It was forced to move to USB-C ports for universal charging as well, and introduced it with the iPhone 15 series as a result of EU’s new rules and regulations.