Apple gives in: "Fortnite" with web payment now in the US App Store after all
High-ranking Apple managers should have appeared in court: After a judge's warning, Apple released "Fortnite" with web payment in the US after all.
"Fortnite" on a cell phone: Years of conflict between Epic Games and Apple.
(Image: Ascannio/Shutterstock.com)
Almost five years after Apple first banned “Fortnite” from the American App Store, the still-popular shooter is back, according to the official X account: on Wednesday night, the iPhone manufacturer complied with a request from a US judge, who had reiterated this week. This means that “Fortnite” can now not only be played in the European Union via the Epic Games Store for iOS – a so-called alternative app marketplace – but also in Epic's home country. The most important innovation for the games company: it is now allowed to process payments via the web – and Apple is not allowed to hinder this or place any “scare screens”.
Judge wanted to have managers brought before her
Epic boss Tim Sweeney thanked“everyone” “who had supported the “efforts for open mobile competition”. Most recently, Spotify had insisted in the form of an “amicus brief” for Epic Games that the release of web payments for the streaming service had opened up new opportunities for cheaper products. It is still unclear why Apple decided to allow “Fortnite” into the US App Store after all. Epic Games USA had actually had its developer account blocked – almost five years ago. Apple insisted that submission by the Epic Games Sweden subsidiary was also not permitted.
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The judge responsible for the proceedings, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, responded to a complaint by Epic Games that Apple did not want to allow the app – and did not do so for several weeks – with a further order. In it, it made it clear that it believed that Apple could implement its “duties” without the need for another hearing or briefing. If this does not happen, Gonzalez Rogers wanted to bring the responsible Apple managers to court – as early as May 27. This would probably have been head of services Eddy Cue or App Store boss Phil Schiller.
What “Fortnite” means in the US App Store
The release of “Fortnite” in the US App Store now allows the app to be installed normally via Apple's platform in the United States. It is also possible to use the app as usual. However, if you want to make in-app purchases, this is no longer done via Apple's platform – where the company receives up to 30 percent commission – but via a link to the web, where the money flows directly to Epic. As this threatens Apple's lucrative business model, Apple wanted to prevent this at all costs.
In the European Union, things work a little differently: here, you either install the AltStore or Epic's own game store to get “Fortnite” on your device. Apple then only superficially checks these applications for security.
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