Update: It seems like Epic was already anticipating that the ban will happen as moments after Apple removed Fornite from the App Store, Epic Games has announced that it is going to premiere a new short film within the game that is called Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite, which appears to be a direct parody to the famous 1984 commercial by Apple that introduced the original Macintosh. Below is a tweet from the official Fortnite account.
Fortnite Party Royale will premiere a new short: Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite. Join us at 4PM ET. pic.twitter.com/BWvndK3gDt
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 13, 2020
For your references, the original commercial shot by Ridley Scott is linked below.
Original Story: Fortnite is undoubtedly the biggest battle royale game available on the market, and it is also available on almost every platform. The game is free to play but has a few other ways of earning revenue including in-app game purchases. A few hours ago, Epic Games introduced a direct payment system in the game that basically allowed them to circumvent all cut that would go to Apple or other storefronts, and would allow players to buy something directly from Epic Games.
Normally, this is not something that would create a huge issue but in a recent turn of events, it turns out that Fortnite is no longer available on the App Store.
Apple Removes Fortnite from the App Store Following the Announcement of Direct Payment System
While this certainly seems like a bold decision by Apple, and something that could potentially harm the overall userbase of Fortnite, talking to The Verge, Apple issued the following statement.
Today, Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users. As a result their Fortnite app has been removed from the store. Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services.
Epic has had apps on the App Store for a decade, and have benefited from the App Store ecosystem - including it’s tools, testing, and distribution that Apple provides to all developers. Epic agreed to the App Store terms and guidelines freely and we’re glad they’ve built such a successful business on the App Store. The fact that their business interests now lead them to push for a special arrangement does not change the fact that these guidelines create a level playing field for all developers and make the store safe for all users. We will make every effort to work with Epic to resolve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.
While Epic's decision was certainly for the better as gamers would have been able to get access to V-bucks for cheaper. As for what the future holds for Fortnite on the App Store, we are not sure what to say.
