Fortnite, the popular multiplayer shooter game developed by Epic Games, has made a return to iPhones in the European Union and Android devices worldwide after a four-year hiatus. This comeback follows the enactment of the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which played a pivotal role in allowing Epic Games to reintroduce Fortnite on these platforms, the company announced on Friday.
Originally launched in 2017, Fortnite quickly became a global sensation with its last-player-standing "battle royale" format, drawing millions of players. However, in August 2020, Apple and Google removed Fortnite from their app stores due to Epic's violation of their guidelines by introducing a direct payment feature. This led to several lawsuits challenging the companies' practices of charging up to 30% commissions on in-app payments.
Before the ban, Epic had amassed a significant user base, with 116 million players on Apple’s platform alone. Despite these challenges, the new DMA law in the EU has enabled Epic to relaunch its game store in the region. Nevertheless, Apple continues to block users outside Europe from accessing Fortnite and the Epic Games Store.
"We are really grateful to the European Commission for not only passing the DMA and enabling store competition, but also going in and robustly holding Apple and Google's feet to the fire to ensure that they can't just obstruct competition," said Epic CEO Tim Sweeney.
He added, "They were going to great efforts to slow us down, and tried to stop us several times, and the European Commission always stepped up and ensured that competitors were able to enter the market."
The Epic Games Store is re-entering the market with titles such as Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and the all-new Fall Guys for mobile. The company is also collaborating with other developers to expand its game offerings through its store. Epic, which currently has 75 million monthly active users in its PC store, anticipates gaining an additional 100 million mobile users by the end of the year.
The reintroduced games will also be accessible through independent mobile stores like AltStore. However, Epic acknowledged that the installation process on iOS devices remains cumbersome, with a 15-step procedure, confusing device settings, and warning screens.
Apple, in response, stated that it has worked to enable new capabilities for developers in the EU while ensuring that these changes are as user-friendly as possible, all while maintaining a focus on user privacy and security.
Reflecting on the four-year ban, Sweeney remarked, "We probably lost over a billion dollars of revenue by losing access to the iOS customer base worldwide for four years, but what's the cost of freedom?"
(Source:www.theprint.in)
Originally launched in 2017, Fortnite quickly became a global sensation with its last-player-standing "battle royale" format, drawing millions of players. However, in August 2020, Apple and Google removed Fortnite from their app stores due to Epic's violation of their guidelines by introducing a direct payment feature. This led to several lawsuits challenging the companies' practices of charging up to 30% commissions on in-app payments.
Before the ban, Epic had amassed a significant user base, with 116 million players on Apple’s platform alone. Despite these challenges, the new DMA law in the EU has enabled Epic to relaunch its game store in the region. Nevertheless, Apple continues to block users outside Europe from accessing Fortnite and the Epic Games Store.
"We are really grateful to the European Commission for not only passing the DMA and enabling store competition, but also going in and robustly holding Apple and Google's feet to the fire to ensure that they can't just obstruct competition," said Epic CEO Tim Sweeney.
He added, "They were going to great efforts to slow us down, and tried to stop us several times, and the European Commission always stepped up and ensured that competitors were able to enter the market."
The Epic Games Store is re-entering the market with titles such as Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and the all-new Fall Guys for mobile. The company is also collaborating with other developers to expand its game offerings through its store. Epic, which currently has 75 million monthly active users in its PC store, anticipates gaining an additional 100 million mobile users by the end of the year.
The reintroduced games will also be accessible through independent mobile stores like AltStore. However, Epic acknowledged that the installation process on iOS devices remains cumbersome, with a 15-step procedure, confusing device settings, and warning screens.
Apple, in response, stated that it has worked to enable new capabilities for developers in the EU while ensuring that these changes are as user-friendly as possible, all while maintaining a focus on user privacy and security.
Reflecting on the four-year ban, Sweeney remarked, "We probably lost over a billion dollars of revenue by losing access to the iOS customer base worldwide for four years, but what's the cost of freedom?"
(Source:www.theprint.in)
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