Apple has removed Fortnite from the App Store

Apple deleted Fortnite from the App Store. The battle royale is no longer available in the Apple store, neither in the United States, nor in France, and probably elsewhere. The manufacturer was quick to make a decision just as radical as that of Epic, which decided earlier in the day to sell cheaper V-Bucks through a payment system other than that of the App. Store (read: Epic Games challenges Apple with direct purchases in Fortnite).

The decision was expected, and quite frankly, given Epic’s very warlike tone in its press release, it seemed inevitable that the publisher would go straight to the clash with Apple. La Pomme does not allow anything other than its own payment system for in-app purchases, the one that allows it to earn 30% commission (15% the second year for a subscription).

« Today Epic Games decided to break the App Store rules which apply equally to every developer “, Explains to the US press Apple in a statement whose first sentence is at best a pious lie. « As a result, the app has been removed from the store. Epic activated a feature that was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and the publisher acted with the obvious intention of breaking the App Store rules for in-app purchases that apply to every developer. » (that too is bogus).

The manufacturer explains that Epic has benefited from Apple’s ecosystem, “ including tools, testing and distribution system provided to all developers ». More ” the fact that commercial interests push [Epic] pushing for a special deal doesn’t change the fact that App Store rules create a level playing field for all developers “. The Apple claims to want to do everything possible to find common ground so that Fortnite finds its way back to the store.

In this story, we’ll see who has the most to lose. Fortnite has hundreds of millions of players, including a good bunch on iOS. Apple can hardly afford to alienate this mass of users for too long. We still have the feeling that these two will have to get along because it is in the interests of both of them to distribute the game on the App Store. In view of Apple’s statement, we understand that Epic has been trying to get something from the manufacturer for a while. Users who have already installed Fortnite on their iOS device can continue to play it.

In the meantime, Epic does not let go of the blows by sharing on Twitter a parody visual of the 1984 Apple ad! Obviously, the publisher has prepared his shot since he will broadcast a short film visibly inspired by the famous advertisement today in Fortnite.

–