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Fortnite is one of the most famous battle royale games, but there's still no resolution regarding Fortnite's future on iOS devices.
Will Fortnite be returning to iOS devices?
Although Fortnite is scheduled to return on iOS devices via Nvidia NOW, the future for Fortnite returning directly to iOS looks very bleak.
The issue began when Epic Games introduced an in-game payment system for Fortnite on iOS devices, which went against Apple's guidelines.
The game was then banned from the App Store, and Epic Games had its rights to the developer tools revoked. Apple alleged that Epic Games wanted to have a free ride, whereas Epic Games said that Apple's decision of taking a 30% cut was anti-competitive.
As per the ruling in October, Judge Yvonne Gonzales Rogers ruled that Apple could not block Epic Games' developer account to support the Unreal engine, which is owned by Epic. However, this does not compel Apple to bring back Fortnite to the App Store either.
“Epic Games and Apple are at liberty to litigate against each other, but their dispute should not create havoc to bystanders.” - Judge Rogers
As per the judgement, Apple and Epic Games have separate agreements for their developer programs, and they haven't been breached. So terminating the developer support for Unreal Engine isn't something that Apple can do.
This issue sparked a new coalition, known as the Coalition for App Fairness; spearheaded by the top brass at Epic, Tile and other companies.
It aimed at cutting down the commission that Apple takes from apps on its app store.
"Every day, Apple taxes consumers and crushes innovation. The Coalition for App Fairness is an independent nonprofit organization founded by industry-leading companies to advocate for freedom of choice and fair competition across the app ecosystem." - Coalition for App Fairness
In October, Microsoft came out with a list of changes to their app store and took a swing at Apple at the same time. Their changes directly oppose the practices of Apple.
"For software developers, app stores have become a critical gateway to some of the world’s most popular digital platforms. We and others have raised questions and, at times, expressed concerns about app stores on other digital platforms. However, we recognize that we should practice what we preach. So, today, we are adopting 10 principles – building on the ideas and work of the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF) – to promote choice, ensure fairness and promote innovation on Windows 10, our most popular platform, and our own Microsoft Store on Windows 10." -Rima Alaily
It's surprising to see that a game like Fortnite could usher such a change concerning the treatment of apps.
Fortnite may return to iOS devices via the Safari browser courtesy Nvidia NOW, but Fortnite's return to iOS devices as an app looks like a pipe dream.
Published 28 Dec 2020, 00:51 IST