Image: © freeman83/Stock.adobe.com
As tensions mount between Apple and Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite has planned a tournament which will feature anti-Apple prizes for gamers.
Earlier this month, Fortnite’s parent company Epic Games began filing antitrust lawsuits with Google and Apple, relating to each company’s app store policies.
The decision to take legal action came after Fortnite was banned from both Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store for violating rules related to in-game payments.
Epic Games had introduced an in-game payment system that enabled players to pay directly for in-app purchases, circumventing the official payment systems used by Apple and Google. In its legal filing, Epic Games has said that it is unfair that Apple and Google can take a 30pc cut from every transaction made through apps available on their app stores.
Apple, in particular, has been in the spotlight numerous times due to its policy on in-app purchases. Some of Apple’s recent antitrust disputes have been raised by Spotify and the European Commission.
Since Epic Games decided to fight Apple’s stance on in-game purchases, the gaming company has taken a tongue-in-cheek approach, creating a video announcement about the conflict that parodied Apple’s famous ‘1984’ TV advertisement.
Now, the company has taken it a step further, by announcing an upcoming tournament, which explicitly highlights the legal feud between the two companies.
The #FreeFortnite Cup
On Sunday (23 August), Epic Games is hosting the #FreeFortnite Cup to mark the “final days” that Fortnite’s entire community will be able to play together, the company said. As a result of the dispute, players on iOS will not be able to play Fortnite’s next season when it launches on 27 August.
In a statement announcing the event, Epic Games invited Fortnite players to “join the fight” against Apple’s App Store. Describing the event, the company said: “All your friends. Awesome prizes. And one bad apple.”
Among the prizes available at the tournament is an in-game costume of Fortnite’s new villain, the “Tart Tycoon”. The company is also giving away “Free Fortnite” hats and 1,200 pieces of non-iOS gaming hardware, including a PlayStation 4 Pro, an Xbox One X, a Nintendo Switch, a OnePlus phone, a Samsung Galaxy tablet and an Alienware gaming laptop. The company said: “Be one of the top 1,200 apple-eaters to win one of these prizes.”
While announcing the tournament, Epic Games also shared information on how iOS Fortnite players can migrate platforms.
The firm said: “To all of our Fortnite players: thank you for your support and for blazing the trail with us on cross-play across console, mobile, PC and Mac. We look forward to the day when everyone can squad up with all their friends again.”
