A "Fortnite" iOS comeback may have just occurred, but not in the way you might expect.
BRAZIL - 2021/03/30: In this photo illustration the Fortnite logo is seen on a smartphone and a pc screen.
Yahoo reports that Epic Games' massively popular battle royale title is once again playable on Apple devices. However, you cannot get the game straight from the App Store (for obvious reasons to be explained later), but rather via NVIDIA's GeForce Now streaming service.
In other words, there was a weird loophole that allowed Epic to skirt around Apple's App Store restrictions.
What this means is that iOS users can still play "Fortnite" on their devices via cloud gaming. For those who might be interested, there is a limited time closed beta signup happening on the NVIDIA website.
This pseudo comeback for "Fortnite" on the iOS is a big one, considering the game hasn't been playable on Apple's devices since August 2020. It was initially kicked off the App Store for trying to avoid the Cupertino giant's 30% commission when it comes to in-app purchases.
But if you want to play "Fortnite" on your iPhone or iPad, however, you'll need to do a lot more rule-bending. That's because according to a report by The Verge, you can only access "Fortnite" on GeForce Now via the Safari web browser.
Safari is the only way that Apple will allow game streaming services like GeForce Now (alongside Stadia, XCloud, or Luna) to work on iOS devices. Furthermore, GeForce Now is only available as a standalone app on Android.
However, this version of "Fortnite" on iOS is a bit different from what Android users are streaming. The latter are actually playing a streamed desktop version of the game, while the former is a mobile-optimized version, which features touch controls and menus similar to the old native version of the game.
Apple has not issued a comment yet on this news.
Read Also: 'Fortnite' Has Finally Moved To Unreal Engine 5--What Can Fans Expect?
Why An Actual 'Fortnite' iOS Return Might Never Happen
The short answer is that there's basically bad blood between Apple and Epic right now.
Last year, Apple vs Epic Games almost hogged tech headlines due the latter filing a lawsuit against the Big Tech icon. It all started when Epic wanted to sell V-bucks ("Fortnite" in-game currency) at a discount directly to players, which circumvented the rulings that App Store has with regards to in-game purchases.
Apple logo
Apple didn't like that because it violated their store policies. As such, "Fortnite" was subsequently removed from the App Store and made unavailable for download on all iOS devices, causing Epic to file a lawsuit against Apple on antitrust charges.
The result of the lawsuit, however, was not to both Epic and Apple's liking. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted this after the ruling was passed:
Today’s ruling isn't a win for developers or for consumers. Epic is fighting for fair competition among in-app payment methods and app stores for a billion consumers. https://t.co/cGTBxThnsP
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 10, 2021
Will Apple Go After This Loophole?
There is no indication yet as to what Apple wants to do regarding this situation. There is a very clear loophole here that the Cupertino giant likely overlooked. Furthermore, Tim Sweeney remains a very vocal critic of Apple's policies, which could once again put more fuel to the fire.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by RJ Pierce
