Epic Files Legal Action Over Apple & Google’s Fortnite App Removal
Fortnite is a worldwide hit and for years it’s really thrived online with players eagerly jumping into games to compete against each other. This game also really helped pave the way for successful battle royale video game titles and over the year’s we’ve seen Fortnite continue to blossom. From having massive crossover events, updated content, and a slew of cosmetic options to purchase, there’s a lot of love towards this IP. Fans can even play it practically on everything from consoles, PC, and mobile devices. However, unless you already own a copy of the game on Android or iOS, there’s a chance you may be missing out on the ability to download the game.
Epic Games has managed to make a massive profit with Fortnite but to keep the money train going, they have worked to avoid losing out on potential profits from the likes of Google and Apple. Right now, both companies take a fee for every in-app purchase which means that Epic is not receiving the full purchase. In the past, Epic released an alternative application for players to download that wasn’t directly on the Google Play Store. However, there are a few hoops for players to jump through since downloading applications not directly on the Google Play Store showcases a few warnings to the consumer, potentially scaring them off from continuing on with the app download.
Now Epic Games has updated the Fortnite applications to allow V-Bucks purchases to be done separately outside of the control of Apple and Google. This would avoid having to offer a portion of the purchase to the companies, but this new update was the reason both Google and Apple decided to remove the application completely for their digital marketplaces.
Rather than back down and resort to forfeiting their attempt to regain the entire in-app purchases, Epic Games decided to file legal action against both Apple and Google. It’s uncertain just where this will go legally, but perhaps the companies are able to work something out that would be beneficial for both parties. If not, then we could see a long period of Fortnite no longer being available on the mobile marketplace.
