The court battle between Epic Games and Apple will really start affecting Fortnite players on Thursday. That’s when the next season of the wildly-popular game will drop, but not for anyone using an iPhone, iPad or Mac.
No new Fortnite for you, Apple users
Epic Games and Apple are fighting over revenue sharing, and players are getting caught in the middle. Earlier this month, Epic Games tried to circumvent Apple’s requirement that the iPhone-maker receive 30% of in-app payments. The result was that Fortnite was booted from the App Store.
And the game developer confirmed Tuesday that there won’t be updates for people who already have it installed. “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,” Epic Games said in a statement. “As a result, Fortnite’s newly released Chapter 2 – Season 4 update (v14.00), will not release on iOS and macOS on August 27.”
The new season will have a Marvel theme. The developer has been dropping clues for days, both on Twitter and on the Fortnite home page.
The War to save Reality begins tomorrow!
Part 5 in Fortnite now!#FortniteSeason4 8.27.2020 https://t.co/TMEHevmBsq pic.twitter.com/Vnn2d2ErY1
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 26, 2020
More bad news from Epic Games
In addition, Epic Games told The Verge that, after this update, Apple players will lose cross-device compatibility. iPhone and Mac users will be able to battle in-game with Fortnite players on other Apple devices, but won‘t be able to challenge Android, PlayStation, Xbox, etc. players.
Apple’s response is that this game can be back in the App Store at any time. Epic Games just needs to stop taking direct payments for in-app purchases. “Our very first priority is making sure App Store users have a great experience in a safe and trusted environment, including iPhone users who play Fortnite and who are looking forward to the game’s next season.”
Source: Epic Games, Apple
