Apple today removed the highly-popular battle royale game Fortnite from the App Store after an update that added a direct payments feature to bypass Apple’s In-App-Purchase system. While Epic Games is now taking legal action against Apple, the game company shared an article detailing how Apple’s decision will impact Fortnite players.
Epic Games claims that the 30% fee Apple charges for each transaction through the App Store system forces developers to increase prices for In-App-Purchases. However, Apple doesn’t allow iOS apps to offer paid content by other methods.
As Fortnite was updated with an option to purchase game items using Epic Games’ own system, Apple quickly removed Fortnite from the App Store and asked the company to update the game following the App Store guidelines.
Since the game was banned from the App Store, Epic Games is unable to offer any update for the iOS version of Fortnite. That means iOS users will not get Fortnite Chapter 2 – Season 4 when available. The current version of Fortnite will continue to work for those who have already downloaded it on iPhone or iPad.
If you already downloaded Fortnite via the App Store, you should have no issues continuing to play Chapter 2 – Season 3’s 13.40 update — whether you’re only playing on mobile devices or also playing the latest version of Fortnite on other devices. Once Chapter 2 – Season 4 begins, players accessing Fortnite will still be able to play the 13.40 version of Fortnite, but will not be able to access any new content or the new Battle Pass.
For users who have spent money on the iOS version of Fortnite, Epic Games says they can’t refund players themselves, so they’re asking users to contact Apple support for more details. As the app is no longer available on the App Store, new users can no longer download it on iOS, and even people who have downloaded the game before will not be able to restore In-App-Purchases.
Epic Games emphasizes that Fortnite is still available on Google Play, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, GeForce Now, and the Epic Games app on Android. “Your account, progression, and purchases also remain available on these platforms,” says the company.
You can read more about the removal of Fortnite from the App Store on the Epic Games website.
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