Apple Still Won’t Let Fortnite Back on the App Store

The Apple-Epic case ended earlier this month — well, the first phase of what could be a years-long battle wrapped up. The court found in Apple’s favor on nine of the 10 claims brought by Epic, and the developer is contemplating an appeal in hopes of a more favorable judgment. In the meantime, however, Apple says it won’t be reinstating Fortnite to the App Store. Epic CEO Tim Sweeny says this is another example of Apple going back on its word.

Fortnite is the most popular game in the world, and that has left Epic flush with cash and spoiling for a fight. Last August, Epic added its own in-game currency purchase options to Fortnite for iOS and Android. Naturally, the game was booted from both stores for circumventing the native payment processing. Epic has filed cases against both companies, but Apple was clearly the bigger target as it blocks third-party app installs. While Fortnite isn’t in the Play Store, Android users can still get it.

The judge ruled that Epic had to pay Apple damages, and that Apple was free to nuke any Epic account on its platform. That appears to give Apple the go-ahead to remove the Unreal Engine dev account, which it threatened to do last year. Epic’s main account remains banned, and that might not change as soon as Epic hoped. According to Sweeny, Apple has said it won’t allow Fortnite back on the App Store until the case is really over.

Sweeny tweeted a series of emails from Apple which lay out the company’s position. While Apple is willing to let bygones be bygones, it won’t do so until Epic accepts the judgment and the case is final. If it’s still planning to appeal the verdict, Apple doesn’t want to allow Fortnite to return.

Late last night, Apple informed Epic that Fortnite will be blacklisted from the Apple ecosystem until the exhaustion of all court appeals, which could be as long as a 5-year process. pic.twitter.com/QCD7wogJef

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 22, 2021

In Sweeny’s estimation, this counts as a lie. In court, Apple said it would be happy to welcome Fortnite back to the App Store, as long as it’s following the same rules as everyone else. Epic recently removed the external V-bucks purchase option on the server side, so it appears to be in compliance. However, Epic lacks a developer account to re-release the game.

While the case didn’t turn out the way Epic hoped, Sweeny’s release of the emails suggests he’s still trying to keep the pressure on Apple. But he’s running out of leverage. Appeals take a long time — remember the recent Google-Oracle decision? That case started more than a decade before. Fortnite might not be cool anymore by the time Epic has exhausted its appeals, and Epic could still lose. It’s a gamble that could leave millions of dollars on the table.

Continue reading

Nvidia Says It Won’t Nerf Crypto Mining on Existing GPUs

We're living in a perfect storm for GPU price inflation, between crypto mining, pandemic gaming, and the global semiconductor shortage. Nvidia hopes to combat the resulting high GPU prices with the upcoming RTX 3060 while letting existing cards mine at full speed.

Microsoft’s Windows 10X Woes Show Why Apple Won’t Unify macOS, iOS

Microsoft's difficulty launching a lightweight Windows variant is all the reason Apple needs to keep the iOS and macOS ecosystems distinct and separate.

Newegg Won’t Sell You Certain Components Unless You Pay for Its PC-Building Service

Newegg is entering the PC-building business. Its business model is designed to sell you a new PC whether you want one or not.

Microsoft Won’t Restrict DirectStorage Support to Windows 11

Microsoft has amended its Windows 10 policies where DirectStorage is concerned. Windows 10 gamers will now receive access to the feature, just not everything it has to offer.