Epic Games has won an important battle, paving the way for the return of Fortnite to the iPhone in 2024. This comes after Apple’s announcement about alternative app stores to the App Store, which will allow Fortnite to be available in the countries of the European Union.
Epic Games CEO, Tim Sweeney, confirmed that Fortnite will be returning to iOS in Europe sometime this year, although he expressed discontent with the plan for alternative app stores, describing it as “riddled with junk rates.”
The return of Fortnite to the iPhone and iPad in Europe is expected to occur in the coming weeks, with Epic Games stating that they will continue to fight for courts and regulators around the world to recognize Apple’s alleged law-breaking.
The Epic store, which will be available on iOS after the release of iOS 17.4, will mark a significant step for Epic Games as it aims to become the number one multiplatform software store by offering a competitive base of payments and exclusive games.
It remains to be seen whether Apple will ultimately accept Epic as a store in their ecosystem, given the ongoing legal battle between the two companies. Epic has expressed support for Apple’s notarization and malware scanning in apps, but continues to criticize what they see as anti-competitive practices and taxes imposed on transactions by Apple.
As this process unfolds, it will be interesting to see how other stores intend to enter the new era of the App Store in the European Union alongside Epic Games.