Fortnite is coming back to iPhone after being banned from iOS for 4 years

Epic Games Studio, behind Fortnite, has announced the video game’s big return to Apple devices, which should take place during the year 2024.

This is a small win for Epic Games. The American studio will once again be able to offer its Fortnite video game to iPhone owners in Europe. All without going through the Apple App Store. The Cupertino company must actually comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, which requires it to authorize third-party apps to be downloaded onto its devices, outside of its app store.

The studio will thus distribute Fortnite through its own platform, the Epic Games Store, accessible on Apple’s iOS mobile operating system. The games publisher did not fail to announce it this Thursday, January 25, on the social network X.

Fortnite has been missing from iPhone for four years. In the summer of 2020, Apple decided to ban the game from its devices because Epic Games introduced an alternative payment system. Caught in a protracted legal battle against the tech giant, accusing it of anti-competitive practices, the studio can finally thank the EU, whose legislative developments are favorable to it.

“We will continue to argue with the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law,” Epic Games said at X.

Apple plans to fight back

By marketing its game outside of the App Store, the studio must avoid the commission charged by the Apple brand.

Apple this Thursday unveiled its system to comply with new European regulations, which will take effect in early March. But the company already plans new commissions for publishers who choose an alternative solution for its app store, Les Echos mentions. A new so-called “core technology” fee, which should apply to more than 1 million downloads on iOS.

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