Fortnite could return to iOS in 2023
Popular battle royale game Fortnite may come back to Apple’s official store on iOS devices in 2023.
Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney may have teased the title’s return on Twitter in the last hours of 2022, posting “Next year on iOS!” followed by a screenshot from Fortnite showcasing some fireworks spelling out 2023.
Epic and Apple fell out with each other in 2020, when the publisher and developer introduced an in-app payment system that would cut out Apple from the process completely – a move that according to Apple violated the App Store’s terms of service and in the end led to Fortnite’s banishment from the store. Epic immediately attacked Apple with an advert referencing George Orwell’s famous piece 1984, publicly stylizing itself as fighting for consumer rights and against unjust conditions imposed by Apple.
A lawsuit filed by Epic Games against Apple ended in favor of the iOS maker in nine out of ten counts in 2021. Epic has appealed this ruling and a new round of hearings started in November 2022.
While iOS users could still play Fortnite through services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now during all this time, the game’s ban from the App Store proved very frustrating for anyone wanting to play it on iPhone and other devices powered by Apple’s operating system.
The spat between the two corporations may finally end in 2023, if Sweeney’s tweet is anything to go by, though any substantial details are still lacking at this moment.
The FTC recently issued a decree forcing Epic Games to refund some in-game purchases made in Fortnite. You can find out how to get refund under the link.
