Epic continues Apple feud by giving away Android devices in #FreeFortnite tournament
Epic Games vs. Apple is a little bit like David vs. Goliath, except David makes substantially more money than you could ever dream of.
In response to Apple de-listing Fortnite from the iOS App Store (and thus preventing players from downloading future updates), Epic announced an Aug. 23 #FreeFortnite tournament. The next update rolls out the following day, which will leave iPhone players functionally unable to play the game unless Epic and Apple settle their dispute.
Players will earn points for surviving, eliminating others, and winning in the game's last-person-standing battle royale mode. Those points can be exchanged for an in-game costume of a shady-looking humanoid apple in a suit (subtle) and, for the top earners in each region, a "Free Fortnite" hat will be sent to their homes.
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Additionally, the top 1,200 worldwide entrants will get a piece of non-Apple gaming hardware, ranging from all three current game consoles to the OnePlus 8 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7.
Epic's money-maker has been MIA from the Apple ecosystem since last week. Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store after Epic introduced an in-game system to give money directly to the developers in exchange for discounted in-game currency. That process was a not-subtle way for Epic to bypass Apple's ability to skim 30 percent off all in-app purchases. Epic has since sued Apple.
Neither Apple nor Google were amused, removing the game from their official mobile storefronts shortly thereafter. Android players can still get the game via Epic's website, but Apple devotees are out of luck until this gets resolved.
Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.
