The high-profile legal battle between Apple and Epic Games over how Fortnite revenue is split up is causing headaches for Fortnite players on iOS. Now, an official Fortnite Twitter account has warned that upgrading to iOS 14 may cause players to lose access to Fortnite. Unlike most other apps, you won’t be able to re-download the game even if you “own” (have previously installed) it.
Fortnite iOS players updating to iOS 14 may lose access to Fortnite. If the message “Temporarily Remove Apps to Install the Software Update?” is accepted, it may result in Fortnite being deleted. Fortnite cannot later be reinstalled due to Apple preventing users from doing so.
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) September 23, 2020
To be clear, it seems that the concern has to do with the iOS 14 installation process, not the update itself. As a follow-up tweet clarifies, Apple gives you the option of temporarily removing apps to make room for the sizable update. If Fortnite players accept that option, they will be unable to reinstall the game, because Apple has removed it from the App Store. Some other Twitter users have responded to the tweet saying that they’re able to play the game after installing iOS 14.
As most Fortnite fans know at this point, Apple has blocked the game from the App Store because Epic Games attempted to circumvent the 30% cut that Apple takes from all sales, offering a 20% discount to players who purchased currency and cosmetics directly from Epic. This has resulted in an ongoing legal clash where both companies have made wild claims about the other, with Apple saying that the move was to restore flagging interest in Fortnite, and Epic comparing Apple to Big Brother, the symbolic antagonist from George Orwell’s seminal novel 1984. Epic has already announced that Fortnite will no longer receive updates on Mac due to the dispute.
Now Playing: Fortnite: Ray-Traced Nvidia Museum Experience
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email [email protected]