Fortnite: Epic Games Releases New Statement on Apple Removal and Season 4 Delay

Epic Games provided Fortnite players with another update on its ongoing legal battles with Apple [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

Epic Games provided Fortnite players with another update on its ongoing legal battles with Apple on Wednesday, and with that came bad news for mobile players on iOS platforms. Due to the legal proceedings and Apple's decision to restrict Epic Games from developing Fortnite on the tech company's devices, Chapter 2 Season 4 will not be releasing on that platform on August 27th. The delay won't affect the version of the game found in the Google Play store though, so Android users appear to be safe for now.

This doesn't mean that Season 4 won't be coming to Apple devices at all, but it definitely won't be arriving on August 27th when it comes to other platforms. The statement from Epic Games provided an answer to the question that'd been hovering over the release of Season 4. An on-time release for the season didn't seem likely since it was hard to imagine the legal situation being wrapped up by then and Apple didn't appear likely to budge on its decision for a seasonal update. There's no telling right now when people playing on Apple's devices will get the Season 4 update.

"Apple is blocking Fortnite updates and new installs on the App Store, and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices," Epic Games said in its statement. "As a result, Fortnite's newly released Chapter 2 - Season 4 update (v14.00), will not release on iOS and macOS on August 27."

Epic's latest statement on the matter continues to frame users themselves as active participants in the legal battle against Apple. While the statement above simply says Apple is blocking Fortnite updates, the rest of the text uses phrases like "everyone's ability" and "your ability" to directly involve players. Two of the best examples of players being invited to take sides come from the "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite" parody and the "FreeFortnite Cup" event that featured an Apple-themed skin.

The quarrels between Epic Games and Apple have apparently been brewing behind the scenes for some time considering how quickly both parties acted when things first started happening, but the public starting point of the legal drama originated from Epic Games adding a new payment option on mobile devices. That option allowed users to bypass the platforms' typical payment methods which in turn bypassed the fees levied on in-app purchases by Google and Apple.

Fortnite Season 4 is scheduled to launch on August 27th, though there's no word yet on when it'll be released for Apple devices.

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