The long-absent Fortnite iPhone port is coming back to iOS gamers after years of being removed from stores.
Developer Epic Games revealed that the popular battle royale game would be returning to the mobile platform following new EU rules that allow sideloading and alternate app stores on iOS.
While Epic CEO Tim Sweeney called the new guidelines “hot garbage”, they do finally allow the Fortnite iPhone port to come back.
Starting in March, EU customers will have the option to download any alternate app stores they want on iPhone and iPad. This means that apps not approved by Apple will be possible, including emulators.
Epic Games has immediately started marketing the return of Fortnite on iPhone following the EU regulations. A brand-new Twitter post was shared just minutes after the ruling to tell fans of the game’s return to mobile.
The Fortnite iPhone battle started over Epic’s wish to gain more revenue from sales of microtransactions in the free-to-play game. Under Apple’s new rules, a Core Technology Fee will be in place for games that are available on the official app stores.
The new Apple CTF will charge developers €0.50 for each first annual install over a 1m threshold every year. This means that Fortnite — which had an install base of 116 million — could cost Epic $57 million every year.
Nevertheless, Tim Sweeney has already revealed plans to bring the Epic Games Store to iOS. The Epic CEO has revealed plans to create the “1 multi-platform software store, on the foundation of payment competition, 0-12 percent fees, and exclusive games like Fortnite."
While already available on PC, the Epic Games Store has received a lot of criticism for its tendency to stop games launching on other platforms. While it does have better payment systems for developers, it doesn’t offer the best experience for gamers — the ones buying the games.
Fortnite has been available on iOS since its removal in 2020, but only due to cloud streaming services like Xbox Game Pass. Even then, streaming apps have been largely blocked from the App Store unless they offer individual app packages for games.
With these new changes, the Fortnite iPhone port should be coming back anytime soon.
Fortnite is currently free to play on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC and Android.