Epic Games Fortnite mobile may never be the same.
In the long and drawn out battle between Epic and Apple, many Fortnite players assumed it’d eventually end with the game being put back onto iOS devices.
A light at the end of the tunnel appear visible when a judge ruled in favor of Apple almost across the board, with the exception being that Apple had to allow other forms of in-app purchases.
While that seemed like it was going to be the end of it, Epic decided to appeal the decision and it has made the already lengthy progress go even longer than expected.
As a result, iOS Fortnite players don’t look like they’re going to be able to be playing an updated version of the game on their iPhone or iPad any time soon.
Don’t Hold Your Breath
Late last night, Apple informed Epic that Fortnite will be blacklisted from the Apple ecosystem until the exhaustion of all court appeals, which could be as long as a 5-year process.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney revealed on Twitter than Apple told Epic that Fortnite will be banned from the App Store until every court appeal is exhausted, something that could take years.
“Late last night, Apple informed Epic that Fortnite will be blacklisted from the Apple ecosystem until the exhaustion of all court appeals, which could be as long as a 5-year process,” Sweeney said.
There’s no telling if Fortnite will even be around in five years, and if it is, there’s no guarantee it’ll be anything close to what we’re seeing in the game right now.
It’s a devastating blow to players who only have Apple devices to play on, but it’s looking very grim and it could be several years before Fortnite is playable again on iOS.
This comes after Epic disabled the direct payments system that led to this whole debacle, and they paid Apple the $6 million that was ordered by the court. Epic assumed that by playing by the same rules as every other developer, Apple would let Fortnite come back.
As it turns out, it runs a whole lot deeper than that.
What’s Next?
Epic Games
For Fortnite players who are trying to play on Apple devices, the best option now is to find another way to play the game.
Since the game is still stuck on the map just before the start of Chapter 2 – Season 4, chances are already good that you’ve moved on elsewhere, but if you’re still holding out hope, this might be the time to give it up.
Fortnite does seem like it’ll be coming back to the App Store in the future, but since that future is so far away, there’s not much sense in waiting around for it.
It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially those who supported Epic through the whole case, but it’s where things stand right now.
If Fortnite does continue to grow in those five years, the return to the App Store will be a triumphant one, but you have to wonder how many players are willing to wait around to play a game that’s available on every other platform. Only time will tell.
Hopefully, we don’t have to wait five whole years to see how everything plays out.
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