In August, Epic introduced a private payment option in its popular battle royale, Fortnite. This move wasn't appreciated by Google or Apple, as it went against both companies' app store policies, and eventually led to the game's ban from both app stores. In response to the ban, Epic stated that both Apple and Google charge an "exorbitant" 30% fee on in-app purchases. To support its claim, Epic also said that the same fee doesn't apply to services like DoorDash, Uber, and more, and these companies use their own payment options.
Epic responded to the removal of Fortnite from the app stores by filing a lawsuit against Apple and even started the #FreeFortnite hashtag. A few days later, Google also removed Fortnite from the Play Store and Epic filed another lawsuit, this time against Google. On August 28, Apple terminated Epic's developer account and filed a countersuit on September 8, asking Epic to pay the damages incurred due to a breach of contract.
Given how the poor relationship between Apple and Epic has grown, Fortnite returning to iOS devices seemed highly unlikely. However, according to a recent development, it seems that Fortnite will once again be playable on iOS devices, but via Nvidia's GeForce Cloud.
On iOS devices, GeForce Cloud runs on the Safari browser and when Fortnite is played using this method, Apple cannot demand a cut from any in-game items sold.
But, there's one major issue. Playing Fortnite via cloud streaming services means there is going to be input lag. Since Fortnite is a shooter, the game demands pin-point accuracy. With input lag, Fortnite can become quite frustrating to play. However, if it somehow manages to play smoothly, there is nothing that Apple can do to prevent iOS users from enjoying Fortnite again.
Currently, Nvidia's GeForce Now isn't available on iOS devices, but Nvidia is intending to bring the service to the iOS platform before the holidays.
