Children, it could take a while before you can play Fortnite again on your iPhone.
It could even take so long, that you may not technically be children anymore.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney posted a thread to Twitter Wednesday, saying that Apple informed Epic that Fortnite would be removed from the Apple ecosystem.
It could take a while. Sweeney tweeted that the appeals process could take up to five years.
According to Sweeney's tweets and email correspondence, Sweeney said that Apple would consider ending its ban on Fortnite along with Epic's entire Developer Account.
Apple's legal counsel sent an email stating that Apple had exercised its discretion and decided not to reinstate Epics' developer program account. "Apple will also not consider any additional requests for reinstatement until the judgment of the district court becomes final and non-appealable."
Oof.
Fortnite, a popular multiplayer battle royale game that is free to play, was removed from the App Store more than a decade ago. It was removed in August 2020. Epic Games, the game developer, offered a way to buy Fortnite's ingame currency, V Bucks, directly from Epic.
This would prevent Apple from taking a 30% cut on in-app purchases. This would also violate Apple's terms and conditions. Fortnite was soon removed from the App Store by Apple. Epic Games prepared a legal complaint to Apple when Fortnite was removed from the App Store. This battle has been ongoing since then.
The judge issued a mixed decision in Epic's lawsuit earlier this month. Apple won because Epic could not prove that Epic was acting as an iPhone-maker by requiring in-app purchase to be made through their platform. Epic had to also pay Apple 30% of the revenue it withheld when it bypassed Apple's in-app purchasing system.
Epic won the case, as the judge ruled Apple had violated laws that prevent developers from linking to third-party storesfronts. Apple won't force in-app purchases through its company.
Epic Games CEO Sweeney tweeted that Epic Games reached out to Apple to activate its developer account. He stated that Epic Games would accept Apple's new terms, and that it would work with Apple to bring Fortnite back onto iOS.
Sweeney claims that Apple refused to do so, and will not reconsider the decision until the appeals process has been completed. Epic Games claims that Apple "lied" to them and has "broken its promise to Fortnite on iOS."
Fornite gamers will continue to play on other platforms than iOS and Mac in the near future...and possibly the distant future.
Mashable reached out to Epic Games and Apple for comments. We'll update this post if we get back.
