Tim Sweeney of Epic Games hinted at the return of Fortnite to iOS in 2023. This comes almost three years after Epic Games’ best-selling Fortnite game was removed from App Store for violating platform guidelines. Sweeney posted a tweet celebrating the new year. He followed that with a photo showing a Fortnite character looking at fireworks that spell out 2023.
Epic Games introduced a direct payment option for Fortnite in August 2020. This was to circumvent Apple’s in app purchasing system and break App Store guidelines. Epic Games was eventually banned from the App Shop by Apple.
“Epic Games committed the regrettable act of violating the App store guidelines. They apply equally to all developers. This is to ensure that the store remains safe for users. Apple released a statement saying that the Fortnite app was removed from the Store.
“Epic enabled an app feature that was not approved by Apple,” the statement added. Epic Games filed a lawsuit against the tech company after Fortnite was removed form the App Store. According to the report, Epic Games and Apple have appealed a September 2021 court ruling that would have allowed developers to add in-app links on outside websites.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), recently announced a $520 million settlement to Epic Games, creators of Fortnite. It was over claims that Epic Games had violated Children’s Online Privacy Protection Acts (COPPA) by using design tricks (known as dark patterns) to deceive millions of players into making unintentional purchase. Also Read: Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 4 Season 1 on Xbox One and PS5: Here’s What’s New
Fortnite was able to make over $9 billion its first two year of existence. Epic will pay $275 million to amend children’s privacy laws and $245 million to refund users who tricked them into making unwelcome charges. FTC Chair Lina Khan said that Epic had used deceptive interfaces and privacy-invasive default settings to trick Fortnite users, even children, as well as mislead them into making unwelcome charges.
Khan released a statement saying that protecting the public, especially children, against online privacy invasions or dark patterns, is a top priority for Commission. “These enforcement actions make it very clear to businesses that FTC is taking action against these illegal practices.”