Good news for mobile gamers – Fortnite is to return to iPhones after a four-year hiatus in March thanks to a new European Union (EU) law.
Epic Games, which developed Fortnite, famously pulled the game from Apple’s App Store four years ago after a dispute with the company over its policies. Since then, gamers have had to get their Fortnite fix via the web.
But in March a new law comes into effect in the 26 EU countries – the Digital Markets Act – which is designed to increase competition and clamp down on perceived monopolies and give established companies and smaller businesses a fairer chance. This will mean that Apple must allow users to access alternative app stores on any iOS device bought in the EU.
Currently, apps can only be downloaded from the App Store to iPhones. This has led to accusations that Apple had a monopoly, as developers and users had to use their App Store – and developers are charged up to 30% on their commission. This meant developers who didn’t want to pay the fees, or don’t meet Apple’s criteria for being on the App Store, were excluded from Apple devices. Apple has always denied accusations of being a monopoly, saying the policy was designed to protect the security of users.
The official Fortnite account on X – the social media platform formerly known as Twitter – has celebrated this news, posting: “Remember Fortnite on iOS? How bout we bring that back. Apple, the world is watching.”
However, users in the UK may still have to wait to start playing on their mobiles again. The UK is not part of the EU, but its own Digital Markets Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament before becoming law, could contain something similar to the EU Act and impose similar rules on Apple.
