Fortnite has announced that its new update, releasing on January 30, will impose new restrictions on the game’s iOS and Mac versions like ending support for the in-app currency and implementing an age restriction.
Since August 2020, the Fortnite app’s 13.40 version is available on iOS and Mac. The app was removed from the App Store after its developer Epic Games released an unauthorized update that surpassed Apple’s in-app payment system and refused to withdraw it.
Later, Epic Games began a long legal battle with Apple to seek the court’s permission to allow third-party payment systems on iOS, outside the App Store but failed. In this legal entanglement, Fortnite players on iOS and macOS have suffered.
In September 2021, a U.S. judge found Epic Games in violation of its contract and ordered it to pay damages to Apple which it did. Although the developer wanted the tech giant to reinstate its developer account, Apple said it would do so after the resolution of all court appeals which can take years.
From Jan 30, Fortnite on iOS will not support V-Bucks and impose an 18 years age limit
As per the announcement on Twitter, the new update will include parental controls and verification features, along with purchasing defaults, and will go into effect on January 30. Therefore, the company suggests that all versions of the game use the latest suite of Epic Online Services. Fortnite Status tweeted:
Beginning January 30, Fortnite players using the August 2020 13.40 app build previously available on iOS, Mac, and Google Play can no longer spend V-Bucks and must be over 18 to play.
We want all versions of our games to use the current suite of Epic Online Services including parental controls, purchasing defaults, and parental verification features. We are not able to update the app on these platforms given Apple and Google’s restrictions on Fortnite.
The new changes are introduced on the game after Epic Games settled two cases for a record $520 million over child privacy violations and tricking “Fortnite” players into making purchases.
Previously, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted that the popular game would be back on iOS in 2023. Although he did not mention how Fortnite would be back on iOS, it is likely that he is banking on the game’s return on the Digital Markets Act by the EU. Expected to be passed in the Spring of 2023, the new act would force Apple to allow third-party app stores or sideloading on iOS.
