Fortnite back this year on the iPhone: here's how you can play on your phone

magictr | January 30, 2024 | Business | No Comments

Fortnite avait été retiré de l'App Store à l'été 2020. Chris DELMAS/AFP

The famous online game "Fortnite" will make its comeback on iOS devices in Europe. After years of battle between Apple and Epic Games, the game's publisher, this turnaround is due to new European regulations on digital markets.

The Fortnite video game will be available again on iOS in 2024 after several years of absence. A return made possible by the new European legislation on digital markets (or DMA for Digital Markets Act). This law requires large technology platforms, like Apple, to allow application developers to offer their products and services outside of their application stores.

In practice, Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite, will be able to distribute the game on iOS via its own application store, the Epic Games Store. The game will therefore be available for direct download on Apple devices, without going through the App Store.

Fortnite will return to iOS in Europe in 2024, distributed by the upcoming @EpicGames Store for iOS. Stay tuned for details as we figure out the regulatory timeline. We'll continue to argue to the courts and regulators that Apple is breaking the law. https://t.co/MHh6EGVinC

— Epic Games Newsroom (@EpicNewsroom) January 25, 2024

Fortnite banned from the App Store in 2020

Fortnite was removed from the App Store in August 2020, after Epic Games circumvented Apple's rules on in-app payments. Apple requires app developers to go through its in-app payment system, which charges a 30% commission on transactions.

Epic Games, which wanted to keep a greater share of the revenue generated by Fortnite, therefore created its own payment system, which violated the rules of the App Store.< /p>

A victory for Epic Games and European players

The return of Fortnite to iOS is a victory for Epic Games, which has been in conflict with Apple for several years. The game is one of the most popular in the world, with over 350 million active players.

Its return to iOS is therefore good news for European players, who will once again be able to enjoy the game on their Apple devices, without having to use workarounds.

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 the new European law 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 their app stores, the DMA could pave the way for greater competition and at lower prices for consumers.