Fortnite Won’t Be Returning To Apple’s App Store Anytime Soon

Following the new law passed in South Korea, it means that Apple will now have to allow third-party payment systems in their App Store. This also means that developers will now have the choice of bypassing the commission that Apple takes on app sales and in-app purchases. As a result, Epic has decided to ask Apple to let Fortnite back onto the App Store.

Unfortunately for Epic, it seems that Apple isn’t too keen on that idea. In a statement made to AppleInsider, the company said, “As we’ve said all along, we would welcome Epic’s return to the App Store if they agree to play by the same rules as everyone else. Epic has admitted to breach of contract and as of now, there’s no legitimate basis for the reinstatement of their developer account.”

Note that Apple isn’t saying no forever. As per the statement, Apple seems to be more than willing to let Fortnite back into the App Store if they’re willing to play by the rules. The main reason why Fortnite was removed was because Epic had violated Apple’s terms of service by openly advertising an alternative way for gamers to pay for in-app purchases.

This kicked off a lawsuit against Apple over the App Store’s commissions, which also led to governments around the world looking into Apple’s practices as well. We can only imagine that Epic assumed that the South Korean ruling meant that Fortnite is now safe again, at least as far as the Korean market is concerned, but it seems that Apple doesn’t agree.

Right now it is unclear how Apple will be handling third-party payments in Korea. While the legislation has been passed, it has yet to come into effect, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Cellphones, Gaming
Tags: Apps, epic, fortnite battle royale, iOS, Legal