Fortnite is one of the most popular games today and available on a multitude of platforms. Computers, mobiles and even the most popular game consoles like PlayStation and Xbox. However, for some time now, Fortnite cannot be played on iPhone and other Apple devices, something that will probably surprise many who are not too on the subject. Why does this happen? What reason is there that Fortnite cannot be played on Apple devices? We will tell you.
Legal battle between Epic Games and Apple for Fortnite
Summarizing a judicial war as complex as that of Apple and Epic Games, developers of Fortnite, is really complex. However and in order not to get bored if you just want to know the reason, we will try to make a summary as close as possible. In short, it could be said that the creators of the game tried to violate the rules imposed by Apple and they finally responded by removing the game from their application store.
All this comes from the standards of the App Store, since Apple shows a common standard for all developers. From its privacy and security policy to make iPhone and company safe, to demanding optimization standards that make apps and games work properly. But these rules also address issues related to payments within applications and games , this being the epicenter of the problems between Epic Games and Apple.
All purchases of apps and games must be carried out through Apple’s own systems, which allow you to take a 30% commission (15% in the case of apps that bill less than a million dollars per year). The fact is that Epic Games implemented its own Fortnite store ignoring this rule because it considered it abusive and without prior notice, so the apple company acted accordingly in the appropriate way it has for it, which is by notifying the developer and temporarily blocking the game from the App Store.
From Epic Games, far from rectifying, they announced the start of a legal battle against Apple, understanding that they were using a dominant position illegally. In fact, it is intuited that Epic’s move was more than studied because it took just a few hours to react and start a campaign on social networks in which they made fun of the Californian firm by parodying its classic 1984 ad in which precisely Apple laughed at IBM putting them in a monopolistic position that, in Epic’s view, they were now adopting.
Even Google did the same , since similar rules exist in the Android Play Store as well. And although Epic did not report it initially, it did so later. However, the impact was not even close and they did not even campaign against the Mountain View company.
So is it impossible to play Fortnite on Apple computers?
The procedure continued its course and after the time that Apple gave Epic to comply with the regulations, the firm led by Tim Cook eliminated their developer account. With this action, all Epic games and apps available in the App Store were eliminated, preventing their download in any way. After that, a trial began that is still pending a final resolution.
At the moment in which Apple blocks an app as was the initial case of this game, it is still available in the “My downloads” section from the App Store, as long as the user had previously downloaded it. However, having subsequently deleted the developer account, there is no longer a trace of Fortnite in the Apple store. Only those who have already downloaded it can play it, although they will not receive updates with new functions or with bug fixes, so in the end they could be condemned not to be able to enjoy the video game.
However, there is a way to play Fortnite on Mac and it is by downloading the game from the Epic website. Unlike what happens on iPhone and iPad, Macs do allow external downloads from the App Store and although their security and optimization are not so guaranteed, it is still in the end a valid way to enjoy a game that, overnight, it disappeared from Apple stores.
