Expecting Fortnite Mobile (iOS) to come back? Here is why it's likely gone forever

The judgment regarding the return of Fortnite Mobile reached a conclusion after the court declared the verdict in the Epic v Apple lawsuit. To the disappointment of loopers, the judgment went in favor of Apple. However, Epic was able to win one count as the court ordered that the tech giant cannot restrict other applications from having a fair share of in-app transactions.

After the verdict, gamers were hopeful that the two parties would reach an agreement and that Fortnite Mobile would be back in the App Store soon. However, to add to their disappointment, it has been revealed that the game might be gone forever!

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Fortnite Mobile: The game has been blacklisted by Apple

The Epic v Apple lawsuit started off with the Fortnite developers complaining against the tech giant's 30% commision pay for every transaction made through their payment portal.

Epic found this unacceptable and wanted to introduce their own payment portal. This led the two parties to appeal to the judicial bench to reach a conclusion. Eventually, after months of hearings, it was stated that Epic had violated the terms and was forced to pay a fine. However, Epic were given the prospect of a repeal against this decision.

Although the verdict came against Epic, they were ready to agree with Apple's policies in the hopes of making Fortnite available on Mac and the App Store. Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, addressed an official email towards Apple requesting them to reinstate the developer's access to bring back Fortnite Mobile to the App Store.

Epic also assured Apple that they would play by the same rules and that there won't be any violation of the terms of service.

Epic was looking forward to a positive response from Apple in order to kickstart the process of bringing back Fortnite Mobile to the App Store. However, Tim Sweeney suffered a major setback when Apple sent in their reply.

The statement issued by Apple clearly states that keeping the lawsuit into consideration, Epic will not be given their developer status back and that Fortnite Mobile will not feature in the App Store until all legal proceedings are over and become non-appealable.

The duration of such a term is quite difficult to judge, but it might reach up to a total of five years. This is a huge blow for Epic as well as millions of Fortnite fans who were hopeful of its return to the App Store soon. While the duration of this verdict may trickle down to a couple of years, it is difficult to state anything for certain.

At the end of the day, Apple will be given the opportunity to decide whether Epic will return or not. Considering the violation of the terms of service, the return of Fortnite Mobile is under jeopardy and it is quite possible that Apple may never give a green signal to Epic for the next few years.