After a long hiatus, Fortnite has officially made a comeback to iPhone and other Apple devices. The famous battle royale game, which was removed from the App Store in August 2020 because of a high-profile dispute between Epic Games and Apple over App Store policies and payment systems, is back again.
The move, which follows a protracted legal battle with Apple, marks the triumphant return of the game to iOS devices in the region. The Epic Games Store’s arrival on iOS is a direct result of the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which mandates that tech firms like Apple allow alternative app stores on their platforms.
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Epic Games Store On iOS Also Offering Other Popular Games
The ruling has made room for increased competition and consumer choice in the mobile app ecosystem.
“Today the Epic Games Store is available for download on iPhones in the European Union and on Android devices worldwide. The store is launching with Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and the all-new Fall Guys for mobile, and we are working to enable all developers to launch their games and apps through the Epic Games Store in the future. We are also bringing our games to independent mobile stores including AltStore PAL today,” Epic Games wrote in its blog post.
Alongside Fortnite, the Epic Games Store is also offering other popular titles such as Rocket League Sideswipe and Fall Guys. While the store is currently limited to EU users, Epic has expressed its intention to expand to other regions in the future.
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Epic Games Fought Apple Over ‘Arbitrary’ Changes
The tussle between Apple and Epic Games is far from over and now, Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney has said that Apple’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) saga “has taken a turn towards the absurd”.
In Europe, the new DMA enabled Epic Games to launch its own Epic Games Store on iOS and to launch its popular Fortnite back to the platform, with reduced commissions to Apple. However, the Cupertino-based tech giant rejected the games store twice.
Previously, the gaming company took to X to convey that Apple has told some press outlets that, though they have approved “our current EGS iOS App for notarization, they are still demanding Epic change the user interface in a future version.” Epic Games posted about the tech company’s “arbitrary, obstructive” rejections.
Sweeney added that “Apple is now telling reporters that this approval is temporary and are demanding we change the buttons in the next version – which would make our store less standard and harder to use.” He added, “We’ll fight this.”