#FreeFortnite and Epic Games’ Fortnite Shutdown on App Store: What All Existing Players Need to Know

Over the end of the last week, the popular battle game Fortnite got pulled off the shelves of the App Store on Thursday afternoon, following...

Over the end of the last week, the popular battle game Fortnite got pulled off the shelves of the App Store on Thursday afternoon, following with Google Play in the night. Apple has updated the in-app purchase guidelines which forbid developers to allow users to buy in-game currency and subscriptions that bypass the company’s own in-app purchase system, causing them to take off their app from the App Store. Fortnite had an update where users can purchase V-Bucks and in-game items through Epic Games’ servers instead of Apple’s.

The developer Epic Games claimed that if they used Apple’s in-app purchase system for their in-game items and currency, then they have to increase the price of every paid item by 30% more than they currently have done in their own method. Developers allowing users to purchase paid content in iOS apps other than Apple’s in-app purchase method is against the App Store guidelines. macOS apps are allowed to have in-app purchases made outside of the App Store, but with extensions.

All existing Fortnite players who play the game on iOS devices will not receive any new updates to the app until further notice from Epic Games. This means that players will not be able to get the “Chapter 2, Season 4” update in the upcoming week, but can still play the game in the current “Chapter 2, Season 3” 13.40 update, which is the one before the game got suspended. The developer has posted a FAQ for mobile users, which states the outcome of the iOS app after it has been taken down:

If you already downloaded Fortnite via the App Store, you should have no issues continuing to play Chapter 2 - Season 3’s 13.40 update -- whether you’re only playing on mobile devices or also playing the latest version of Fortnite on other devices.

Once Chapter 2 - Season 4 begins, players accessing Fortnite will still be able to play the 13.40 version of Fortnite, but will not be able to access any new content or the new Battle Pass.

All players who had paid in-app purchases in the app and can not restore their purchases can not be reimbursed by Epic Games in the meantime and have to contact Apple Support for a refund. All subsisting Fortnite players can still play the game on PC, macOS, GeForce Now, the Epic Games app on Android devices, and Nintendo Switch to continue playing the game including the next update. Until now, the battle game will not get back on the App Store and Google Play store until the company overcomes the lawsuit.