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Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store - The Verge
Aug 13, 2020 1 min, 55 secs

Apple says Epic is violating its App Store guidelines by using its own payment system.

Apple has removed Epic Games’ battle royale game Fortnite from the App Store after the developer on Thursday implemented its own in-app payment system that bypassed Apple’s standard 30 percent fee.

Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services.

Epic implemented its own payment system in the Android version of Fortnite as well, leading Google to take similar action and remove the game from the Play Store.

For game developers who choose to use the Play Store, we have consistent policies that are fair to developers and keep the store safe for users,” a Google spokesperson tells The Verge.

For instance, 1,000 V-bucks, which is roughly equivalent to $10 in-game Fortnite currency, now costs just $7.99 if you use Epic direct payment instead of the standard Apple payment processing.

As of right now, those who have already downloaded Fortnite on iOS are still able to access the game; only new downloads are disabled as a result of Apple pulling the game from the App Store.

It was initially unclear how updates to Fortnite will function — some users who have the game downloaded but have not opened it a while reported that update files are still; downloading normally — but Epic would have to get the game reinstated in the App Store to push substantial future changes to the iOS version.

“Apple, Google, and Android manufacturers make vast, vast profits from the sale of their devices and do not in any way justify the 30 percent cut.” Epic launched a game store on PC in which it takes only 12 percent of revenue as a way to try to encourage a similar change in competitor Valve’s Steam marketplace.

Epic previously bypassed Google’s Play Store on Android by releasing Fortnite as a direct download through its own software launcher

“After 18 months of operating Fortnite on Android outside of the Google Play Store, we’ve come to a basic realization,” reads Epic’s statement

Update August 13th, 7:18PM ET: Added comment from Google regarding its removal of Fortnite from the Play Store

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