Fortnite is now removed from iOS, Apple blocks the game, says Epic Games
Epic Games has said that Fortnite is no longer available on iPhones and iPads anywhere in the world. According to them, Apple has blocked their game from the App Store, and now Fortnite is offline for all iOS users.
In a post on social media platform X, Epic Games wrote, “Apple has blocked our Fortnite update, so we can’t launch the game on the U.S. App Store or the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union. Until Apple unblocks it, Fortnite will not work on iOS devices anywhere in the world.”
Last week, Epic Games had submitted Fortnite again to Apple’s U.S. App Store. They did this after a judge said that Apple cannot take commission on purchases made outside of an iOS app.
But back in 2020, Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store because Epic Games had changed the game to send users to their own website. This way, players could buy items without paying Apple a 30% fee. Apple usually charges developers this fee for all in-app purchases.
In Europe, Fortnite was already working on iPhones through Epic Games’ own app store. This was allowed because of the Digital Markets Act, which lets third-party app stores run in the EU.
However, now Epic Games says Apple has also blocked them from offering Fortnite through their own iOS store in Europe.
The big problem here is the control Apple has over the App Store. Gabriel Le Roux, who runs a company called Primer that works on payment systems, says that developers don’t get much freedom. Apple’s rules limit how they make money, talk to users, and grow their apps.
He said, “Gaming companies already have small profits. They spend a lot of money to get new users and keep them playing. If they have to give 15-30% of each sale to Apple, they can lose all their profits.”
For now, Fortnite will stay offline on all iOS devices unless Apple changes its decision.
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