It was only a couple of weeks ago that Epic made the first move in its battle against Apple (and Google) by bypassing the App Store's payment method to offer players a discounted price on in-game items, and denying Apple its 30% cut that it takes on all in-app purchases.
The tech giant wasn't happy, and wasted no time in blocking any further updates from Epic, meaning that Fortnite players on iPhone, iPad, and Mac were left wondering which version of the game – if any – they could play, and what the ensuing legal battle would mean for the new season.
Well Epic has just dropped an update for iOS and macOS players eager to dive into Chapter 2 - Season 4 on launch day.
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When all of this first kicked off, and Epic called on its player base for support in its #FreeFortnite campaign, the developer announced that Apple had "blocked Fortnite from the App Store, removing everyone’s ability to install and update the game on iOS devices," while telling Epic to remove its direct payment feature.
There are workarounds, with Apple players able to continue to play Chapter 2 - Season 3’s v13.40 update, but Epic has confirmed the status of the game for iOS and macOS users starting today, when Chapter 2 - Season 4's update v14.00 drops.
"Apple is blocking Fortnite updates and new installs on the App Store, and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices. As a result, Fortnite’s newly released Chapter 2 - Season 4 update (v14.00), will not release on iOS and macOS on August 27."
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No doubt this will be a huge blow to players wanting new content and to compound matters, they won't be able to get the new Battle pass either. Whether this will backfire on Epic, or see a tidal wave of support in its favour remains to be seen; many of its fans aren't the ones splurging on Apple's devices in the first place, so the effect they may have in the 'fight' is negligible.
For now, Fortnite's new content is only accessible from the Epic Games App for Android and the Samsung Galaxy Store.
