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If you are a Fortnite player on iOS and/or Mac, then you will not be happy with the latest confirmation from Epic Games.
As you might have heard, Epic Games and Apple are not seeing eye-to-eye right now. A legal dispute was launched on August 13, with Epic Game suing Apple for what it deems as anti-competitive behavior. Before that, Apple removed the mega-popular Fortnite from the App Store. And now, Apple is just a couple of days away from potentially revoking Epic’s developer accounts.
So, things aren’t going so smoothly.
And it’s going to get worse, at least for the players. Epic Games suggested last week that Fortnite‘s upcoming season might not be available for iOS and Mac, and that will be the case. The company has confirmed via a newly-updated FAQ page that iOS and Mac will not get the new season, which launches on Thursday, August 27, 2020 (via The Verge).
Per the FAQ, Epic says Apple is blocking updates and new installs of the game (which it is). Epic does not make a mention of the fact it knowingly broke the App Store rules, though.
Apple is blocking Fortnite updates and new installs on the App Store, and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices. As a result, Fortnite’s newly released Chapter 2 – Season 4 update (v14.00), will not release on iOS and macOS on August 27.
If you still want to play Fortnite on Android, you can access the latest version of Fortnite from the Epic Games App for Android on Fortnite.com/Android or the Samsung Galaxy Store.
So, there we go. Maybe something changes between now and tomorrow, but that seems doubtful. And even Epic Games has decided to just go ahead and confirm it will be skipping iOS and Mac for this upcoming season of the popular battle royale game.
This also means that, moving forward and until this whole thing gets resolved, Fortnite will no longer support iOS and Mac for cross-platform game. Meaning, once the new season launches, the battle royale game will support playing against players on Android, Windows PC, the Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. iOS and Mac will not be included with cross-platform play support starting Thursday, August 27.
So then, let’s go to the timeline!
How’d we get here?
August 13, 2020
- Epic Games updates Fortnite on the server-side, bypassing the App Store review process. It adds a direct payment option, breaking another rule in the process.
- Apple removes Fortnite from the App Store due to Epic Games breaking the App Store rules.
- Epic Games launches a media blitz, and it also sues Apple for anti-competitive behavior.
- Epic launches “Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite”, a parody video of Apple’s original “1984” ad:
- Google removes Fortnite from the Play Store, as Epic Games also violated the Play Store’s rules.
- Epic sues Google, too.
- Spotify weighs in! Unsurprisingly, it applauds Epic Games for its decision to stand up against Apple.
August 14, 2020
- Facebook says Apple’s App Store fees make it impossible to help small businesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
August 17, 2020
- Apple threatens to revoke Epic Games’ developer accounts for not only iOS, but also macOS. That cut-off is set to take place on Friday, August 28, 2020.
August 18, 2020
August 20, 2020
- The Wall Street Journal and other news publications sign an open letter asking for Apple to reduce its App Store fees down to a standard 15%.
August 21, 2020
- Epic Games promotes the #FreeFortnite Cup, or tournament, that is meant to bring even more attention against Apple, and is promoting “anti-Apple” prizes.
- Epic sought special treatment for Fortnite before it declared war against Apple and the App Store’s guidelines.
August 24, 2020
- Judge Gonzalez-Rogers rules that Apple does not need to reinstate Fortnite back into the App Store as the legal battle wages on. The judge also rules that Apple cannot revoke the Unreal Engine development tools, but it can still move forward with removing Epic’s developer account for iOS and macOS.
- Apple says it agrees with the ruling made by Judge Gonzalez-Rogers, and is prepared to welcome Fortnite back onto iOS as soon as Epic Games is ready to follow the App Store guidelines.
So, tell me: are you going to switch to Android so you can play Fortnite?
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