Epic Offers Android Device Prizes in ‘Fortnite’ Cup Amid Apple Lawsuit
Written by SOURCE on August 21, 2020
Amid their lawsuit against Apple over the removal of Fortnite from the App Store, Epic Games is launching a #FreeFornite tournament.
As revealed on the official Epic Games blog, players on iOS devices will be unable to play Chapter 2 – Season 4 when it launches on Aug. 27, so the #FreeFortnite Cup will take place on Aug. 23 across all platforms. Prizes for participants will include everything from in-game items, as well as tangible merch that ranges from a hat, to the platforms you can still play Fortnite on. Other prizes include an Alienware Gaming Laptop, Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, Playstation 4 Pro, Xbox One X, and a Nintendo Switch.
In order to get those prizes, players will have to compete in a limited-time playlist where they can earn points for surviving, killing other players, and winning a match. The points can be exchanged for in-game prizes, while the top-scoring players in each region will receive the merch and gaming devices. “All of your friends. Awesome prizes. And one bad apple,” reads the official description for the tournament.
Epic first filed a lawsuit against Apple earlier this month after the company removed the game from the App Store for violating the terms of service. The removal came shortly after Epic unveiled a new pricing plan for the game’s currency, V-Bucks. Across all platforms, the price of the currency was reduced by 20 percent, although mobile players could only get the discount if they selected the “Epic direct purchase” option. The change meant that Epic circumvented Apple’s current payment system, which requires a 30 percent cut of each transaction, including in-app purchases, which go to Apple.
“Apple’s removal of Fortnite is yet another example of Apple flexing its enormous power in order to impose unreasonable restraints and unlawfully maintain its 100% monopoly over the iOS In-App Payment Processing Market,” the lawsuit filed against Apple reads. Fortnite was also removed from Google’s Android app store for the same reason, prompting Epic to file a similiar lawsuit against the tech giant. Players can still access the game on Android due to the open nature of the operating system, but it’s obviously not quite as simple as downloading it from the authorized Google digital marketplace.
Despite the game not being accessible on iOS platforms at the moment, Epic has continued to tease further content for the game. Specifically, the Twitter account revealed that another Marvel collaboration is on the way on Aug. 27.
