Fortnite includes Apple IAP and Epic checkout, fate rests with App Store review

Epic Games submitted Fortnite to the App Store for review on Friday. Now what? The version under review offers both Apple’s in-app purchase system and an external payment option via the Epic Games Store. But despite recent policy changes forced by a federal injunction, Apple isn’t legally required to approve the app. Still, rejecting Fortnite could deal Apple a blow in the court of public opinion, especially as its standing with developers continues to slip. Epic nuked Fortnite to attack Apple’s 30% Fortnite has been absent from the App Store in the U.S. since 2020, when Epic Games slipped a direct payment option for V-Bucks into the app — deliberately violating Apple’s rules. The move was a calculated protest against Apple’s 30% commission on in-app purchases, and it sparked a years-long antitrust battle between the two companies. Last week, Epic claimed victory after a federal judge ruled that Apple could no longer block developers from linking to or advertising external payment m ... Read full article.