Why Fortnite might eventually return to iOS devices again

Epic Games removed Fortnite from the iOS App Store in August of 2020. Since then, it really hasn't come close to returning. The relationship between Apple and Epic Games seems to have completely soured.

The lawsuit came and went, with Epic Games losing on all but one count. That only made things worse and probably didn't help iOS mobile players' chances of ever playing again.

It's been almost two years since the game was removed and while some roundabout methods have come up, Fortnite seems no closer to returning to the devices natively. There's cause for concern among a portion of the player base that is currently being left out in the cold.

Mobile (Image via Epic Games)

However, it does seem unlikely that Epic Games wouldn't want Fortnite on the App Store. It is a huge audience that will likely provide a good revenue stream. Will things ever return to normal?

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Will Epic Games ever get Fortnite back on the App Store?

The short answer is that while no one truly knows if or when the two will reconcile and put Fortnite back in the hands of iOS users, it is likely they will. The two companies are definitely at odds, but there's too much money to be made.

Plus, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeny did say they intend on having the game back in the App Store eventually.

It does sound a lot like a veiled threat towards Apple, but it also contains a promise to iOS players. Epic Games has every intention of giving the game back to them. Essentially, the ball is in Apple's court.

The ball has been in their court for a while, though. Since the game was removed and the lawsuit was brought on, Apple has technically had the ability to put all of this to bed.

They, like Epic Games, have been unwilling to waver, but there's a good chance they will eventually do so. There are tons of games on the App Store, but there are probably not many that are as popular as Fortnite.

If it never returns in its official capacity, there are still other ways to use the game on an iOS device. Xbox Cloud Gaming will allow players to try the game through their Safari browser. NVIDIA GeForce is another option.

While there's no definite way to answer whether or not the game will be back on iOS devices, there is a good probability that it will happen. It just might take a while to do so.