Recent developments in the Epic Games vs. Apple lawsuit have raised the possibility that Fortnite may make a comeback on iOS. Here’s more on that.
The prompt action taken by Apple was to withdraw Fortnite from the App Store. In response, Epic Games initiated alawsuit against Apple, alleging monopolistic conduct and antitrust violations. Now after multiple court hearings and developments in the case, where Apple prevailed as well, the US Supreme Court has denied appeals of both sides.
As the most recent development, Epic Games CEOTim Sweeney wroteon X, “The Supreme Court denied both sides’ appeals of the Epic v. Apple antitrust case. The court battle to open iOS to competing stores and payments is lost in the United States. A sad outcome for all developers.”
Offering an update on games and payments on the App Store, he further said, “Now the District Court’s injunction against Apple’s anti-steering rule is in effect, and developers can include in their apps ‘buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to IAP’.” However shortly after,Apple fileda bad-faith “compliance” plan for the District Court’s injunction.
Despite that several hints through the lawsuit hinted towards a potential comeback for Fortnite on iOS devices. Here’s how.
Related:
According toIndustry InsiderMark Gruman, the European App Store on Apple devices will receive its sideloading feature in a few weeks. This further means that developers would be able to publish apps without a seal of approval from Apple.
Could Fortnite return to the iPhone soon? 😳The EU App Store will receive its sideloading feature in a few weeks, according to industry insider@markgurman👀This means that developers can publish apps without Apple’s approval!(Information by@NotPaloleaks&@Misterio12348)pic.twitter.com/Pg7Vt2S9aI
Similarly, Epic Games might be able to leverage the sideloading feature and bring back Fortnite soon to iOS devices in the European continent. As for the United States, the legal battle outcome has shown no such possibility as of yet.
Rishabh Sabarwal was a Games Writer on Dexerto’s UK team, specializing in Fortnite content. He is an expert in FPS games and has covered Call of Duty, Cyberpunk 2077, Fallout, Roblox, and trending games on Twitch. He also has bylines at Sportskeeda and CharlieINTEL.
