Will Fortnite Mobile (iOS) return in the near future?

Due to court trials between Epic Games and Apple, Fortnite is currently unavailable on iOS. It's no surprise that a plethora of players enjoyed the Battle Royale (BR) title on iOS devices, and they eagerly look forward to its return.

Fortnite has introduced a ton of new content with Chapter 3 Season 1, which Apple users are naturally missing out on. It also seems unlikely that it will return to the App Store anytime soon, and here's why.

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Why Fortnite won't return to iOS soon

It is important for readers to understand the cause of the massive dispute between Epic Games and Apple. Apparently, Tim Sweeney (CEO of Epic Games) was against the 30% revenue cut that Apple takes on each purchase made in the App Store.

For Fortnite, Epic Games either wanted Apple to reduce the cut or remove it altogether.

In retaliation, Apple accused Epic Games of intentionally breaching the contract and removed Fortnite from its App Store. However, following the court trial, there was a ray of hope that the game would return.

Even when Epic Games agreed to Apple's terms, Fortnite wasn't added back to the App Store. As per Apple, it has blacklisted the Fortnite developer from its ecosystem until the exhaustion of court appeals.

On Twitter, Tim Sweeney claimed that Apple lied about bringing back Fortnite.

Epic Games has also faced a lot of criticism due to its stance on the matter. Many players believe that the developer shouldn't have broken the contract previously, and going ahead with the lawsuit is what led to Fortnite's permanent removal from the App Store.

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When is Fortnite Mobile likely coming back?

In a post by Epic Games, it is clearly mentioned that the exhaustion of court appeals is a gradual process that might take up to five years. Hence, players worldwide should not expect Fortnite on mobile platforms for some years.

It is worth noting that Fortnite isn't available on Google Play Store as well. Epic Games has a similar dispute with Google over its revenue cuts on payments made through the store.

Fortnite is a free-to-play title and in-game purchases are a major source of revenue for Epic Games. This explains why the developer is against the monopoly of Google and Apple on in-game purchases.

As of now, Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 is underway and players on PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation have heavily appreciated the new content. WinterFest 2021 is also live, and the community is getting new free rewards every day.