Popular online game “Fortnite” will make a comeback on iOS devices in Europe. The switch is due to new European rules on digital markets, after years of battle between game publisher Apple and Epic Games.
The video game Fortnite will be available again on iOS in 2024 after an absence of several years. Compensation is made possible by new European legislation on digital markets (or DMA for the Digital Markets Act). The law requires major technology platforms, such as Apple, to allow app developers to offer their products and services outside of their app stores.
In practice, Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite, will be able to distribute the game on iOS through its own app store, the Epic Games Store. Hence the game will be available for direct download on Apple devices without going to the App Store.
Fortnite will return to iOS in Europe in 2024, distributed by Next @EpicGames Store for iOS. Stay tuned for details as we figure out the regulatory timeline. We will continue to argue before the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law. https://t.co/MHh6EGVinC
– Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) January 25, 2024
Fortnite was banned from the App Store in 2020
In August 2020, Fortnite was removed from the App Store after Epic Games cheated Apple’s rules on in-app payments. Apple requires app developers to go through its in-app payment system, which takes a 30% commission on transactions.
Epic Games, which wanted to keep a large portion of the revenue generated by Fortnite, created its own payment system, which violated the App Store’s rules.
Victory for Epic Games and European players
Fortnite’s return to iOS is a victory for Epic Games, which has been at loggerheads with Apple for years. The game is one of the most popular in the world with over 350 million active players.
So its return to iOS is good news for European players, who will once again be able to enjoy the game on their Apple devices, without using a workaround.
An important event in the video game industry
The return of Fortnite to iOS is also an important event in the video game industry. It shows that new European legislation on digital markets can have a real impact on the behavior of large technology platforms.
By requiring Apple to allow app developers to offer their products and services outside of its App Store, the DMA could pave the way for more competition and lower prices for consumers.
