Fortnite publisher Epic Games' long-running war with Apple has reached a new climax, as the battle royale has now been removed from the app store, leaving the game 'offline' for the foreseeable future.
Many of the gaming world's biggest battles typically occur on the screen, yet there have been few that are quite as aggressive and never ending as Apple's fight against Fortnite developer Epic Games.
Following the implementation of a PUBG-like battle royale feature in 2017, Fortnite completely exploded in popularity, rivalling many of the best-selling titles like Minecraft and remains a powerhouse of the industry today.
While its primary audience is found on consoles and PC, Fortnite's introduction to the mobile gaming world gave millions more the opportunity to test their skills in search of a Victory Royale, yet that hasn't come without its complications.
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Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has for a long time made it clear how he feels about revenue share systems on storefronts like Steam and Apple's app store, and this was put into action in August 2020 when Fortnite removed itself from the latter in protest of commissions on in-game purchases.
An intense lawsuit from Epic, countersuits from Apple, and now-infamous attack adverts followed, and over a bitter five years Epic emerged victorious, although some would claim that neither side were particularly successful - and Epic has since had to pay out following major FTC lawsuits.
Regardless, Epic Games just recently submitted Fortnite for approval on the Apple app store, but, as reported by Dexerto, the developer was forced to pull the game once more and resubmit in order to push forward the latest update.
This resubmission process is where problems emerged though, as this morning saw Apple block Fortnite's request, leaving the game offline and unavailable to millions of iPhone and iPad users across the globe.
"Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union," wrote the official Fortnite account on X today, May 16. "Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it."
Fortnite is already recognized as one of the most stressful games you can play, but this back and forth only adds to the anxieties of gamers simply wanting to head into their next game and enjoy all of the latest collaborations.
There has been no communication as to why Apple have blocked this particular resubmission, and the bitter conflict between the two parties indicates that this won't likely be solved any time soon, leaving many gamers in the dark as to when they'll be able to play again.
Social media seems conflicted as to which side they're on, as while some people are willing to call out Apple's aggressive actions, others remain frustrated with Epic's unwillingness to cooperate with the app store's rules.
"Apple's actions are a clear violation of fair competition," writes one user. "We stand with Epic Games in demanding transparency and accountability from tech giants."
Another, however, argues: "I'm pretty sure they'd just let you guys have your app if you paid their fees for selling through their marketplace."
It's clearly far beyond the point where the dispute began, and there's likely to be a feeling of bitterness between Epic and Apple, but regardless of whose 'fault' it is, many gamers would simply like things to be resolved so they can actually play their favorite game.