It seems that almost anyone who is anyone in the mobile gaming world knows what Fortnite is, as well as that the developer behind the megahit game – Epic Games – has been at loggerheads with Apple since 2020.

Indeed, at the time of typing, the dispute between the companies looks to be far from over. In April 2023, Apple emerged victorious in an appeals court ruling in an antitrust dispute brought by the Fortnite developer, but further appeals are expected.

However, to be able to properly understand the situation between Apple and Epic Games right now, it is necessary to know a little something about Fortnite itself, as well as the power dynamics in play between the two massive companies. It is a feud that has already exerted profound, and probably permanent, effects on the mobile gaming landscape.

Fortnite: what is the fuss all about?

In some ways, it seems quite remarkable that the online video game known as Fortnite was only released in 2017, as it has certainly entrenched itself at the very centre of mobile gaming culture ever since.

Strictly speaking, there are three game mode versions of Fortnite – Fortnite: Save the World, Fortnite Creative, and Fortnite Battle Royale. However, it is the latter of those three – a free-to-play battle royale game – that has been especially responsible for creating video gaming history.

Just a few months after release, Fortnite had accumulated more than 20 million players. And by 2022, some 400 million people had played the game, with over 80 million of those being active players.

The Battle Royale version of the game involves up to 100 players fighting each other to be the last person standing, drawing upon the resources and weapons they manage to find.

So, how did Epic Games’ battle with Apple arise?

The defining flashpoint in the fracturing relationship between Apple and Epic Games occurred in August 2020, when Apple removed Fortnite from its App Store. The Cupertino firm alleged that Epic Games was attempting to dodge the 30% cut that Apple takes from app purchases, subscriptions, and in-app purchases made on its platform.

Sure enough, it turned out that was more-or-less exactly what Epic Games was doing. Specifically, the Fortnite developer had announced that it was slashing 20% off the price of the in-game currency, V-Bucks. And as part of this promotion, those playing Fortnite on an iOS device who wished to access the discount were required to select a new payment method, known as “Epic direct payment,” instead of paying through the App Store.

This seemed as clear-cut a breach of Apple’s rules as has ever been seen. So, no one could be too surprised when Apple threw Fortnite out of the App Store within hours of Epic Games launching its promotion.

There was, though, plenty of suspicion at the time that Epic Games had engineered this situation, blatantly breaking Apple’s rules to effectively dare the iPhone maker to dash the hopes of users wanting to enjoy the discount.

Such suspicions appeared confirmed when Epic Games swiftly filed antitrust lawsuits against both Apple and Google (which had itself booted Fortnite from its own app store) comprising 60 pages of court filings, which would have surely taken weeks (and indeed, perhaps months) to prepare.

With this calculated move, there was much talk at the time about Epic Games having cannily “presented itself as the upstart challenging Apple’s hegemony.” Those were the words of writer Will Oremus, who said that Apple had been “baited… into a losing battle”.

Has the ‘war’ between Apple and Epic Games been quite as consequential as expected?

Apple has historically been famous – some might say, even notorious – for the tight control it maintains over its App Store and the IDFA rules within it. When the battle between Apple and Epic Games first broke out, a lot of discussion centered on whether the Fortnite developer’s legal action could have the effect of greatly loosening the Cupertino giant’s iron grip that had gone so unchallenged for so long.

However, if that was the script that was set back in 2020, subsequent events haven’t entirely complied with it. After all, as aforementioned, Apple won a significant court battle in April 2023, a ruling which itself affirmed a decision in 2021 by a lower court, rejecting Epic Games’ claims that Apple’s App Store policies constituted a breach of federal laws.

Still, with more appeals surely to come, and the European Digital Markets Act raising the spectre of Apple being forced to permit third-party app stores on iOS – which could open up a path for Fortnite to return to iOS in some capacity – it is fair to say this war has not been decisively won by either party just yet.