Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney hinted at a return on Twitter.

Sweeney wrote on the last day of 2022, “Next year on iOS!” which sounds like an obvious statement, especially after one of the most massive lawsuits in the gaming industry was filed by Epic Games against Apple (and Google). He added a Fortnite character watching the 2023 fireworks in one of the replies, so there could be some positive development for the company that allows a return to Apple’s systems.

Apple will soon allow sideloading (loading apps not directly from the Apple App Store) and third-party app stores on iPhones with iOS 17, as it will comply with the European DMA (Digital Markets Act). Thus, Fortnite, which has not been officially available for iOS for years, may soon reappear, but that may not be the case. Apple removed it from the App Store in August 2020 because Epic Games started using an alternative payment method in Fortnite, bypassing Apple’s in-app purchase mechanisms in violation of the App Store’s policies. Epic had a problem with Apple’s 30% profit margin on microtransactions. The company responded to the trickery in a statement:

“Today, Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users. As a result, their Fortnite app has been removed from the store. 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 sued Apple over it, and both companies appealed the first ruling, so the case between the two sides is not over yet.

Source: WCCFTech