There has been no shortage of buzzworthy gaming stories this year, but none have been quite like the feud between Epic Games and Apple. Over the summer, Epic entered a legal battle with Apple over their popular game Fortnite, which stemmed from warring views regarding in-game purchases and payments. The battle resulted in Fortnite being removed from the App Store entirely — but it looks like a new workaround could soon allow fans to play the game again. According to a new report from BBC, Fortnite could soon be available to play through Nvidia’s GeoForce Now, a cloud gaming service that is currently available to use on Mac, Windows, Android, and Chromebook computers. A new version of GeoForce Now is being developed for iOS devices, which would theoretically allow fans to play Fortnite through Apple’s Safari browser. If fans play this way – and purchase in-game currency or cosmetics in the process – Apple will not get a cut of the profits.
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The report indicates that Fortnite being included in GeoForce Now’s mobile version isn’t a done deal, with a spokesperson for Nvidia not indicating whether or not it’s true.
“Nvidia is not commenting on any new clients coming to the service, or on the availability of any game on unannounced or unreleased platforms,” a spokesman for the firm told BBC. “Fortnite is not confirmed for GeForce Now on platforms beyond PC, Mac and Android.”
While Apple doesn’t allow for apps or games through third-party app stores, they are able to run via Safari or other web browsers. If Fortnite did get included in GeoForce Now’s mobile update, it would come with a handful of caveats — including the fact that Nvidia’s free access would limit gameplay to an hour. There is also the possibility that the cloud-based access could result in lag or other gameplay issues.
Apple’s block on Fortnite occurred in mid-August, preventing new updates of the game from being able to hit iOS devices. Epic responded to the ordeal by launching a “#FreeFortnite” viral campaign, and even debuting an in-game short film that parodied Apple’s iconic 1984 advertisement.
“Apple has blocked Fortnite from the App Store, removing everyone’s ability to install and update the game on iOS devices, while instructing Epic to “remove the ‘Epic direct payment’ feature”,” A post on Epic’s blog read at the time. “Apple is keeping prices high so they can collect 30% of your payments, and is blocking Fortnite in order to prevent Epic from passing on the savings from direct payments to you! Join the fight against @AppStore on social media with #FreeFortnite.”
What do you think of a potential way for Fortnite to be played on iOS devices? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Fortnite is currently available on most major platforms.
