Epic Games have announced the #FreeFortnite Cup, a Fortnite event deriding Apple for removing them gamefrom the App Store; after Epic Games introduced an alternate payment method for V-Bucks.
As we previously reported, Epic Games announced that the price of V-Bucks, Fornite‘s in-game currency that can be bought with real money, would permanently be 20% cheaper on all platforms. However, on Android and iOS, a new payment method was introduced.
Rather than buying the V-Bucks through Google Play and the App Store respectively, Epic Games launched the “Epic direct payment.” “When you choose to use Epic direct payments,” the announcement explains, “you save up to 20% as Epic passes along payment processing savings to you.”
This is due to Apple and Google collecting a 30% fee through all V-Bucks bought on their respective platforms. As such, the 20% drop has not been applied to purchases made through them. Epic Games state that “If Apple or Google lower their fees on payments in the future, Epic will pass along the savings to you.”
Shortly after this announcement, Apple and Google both removed Fortnite from the App Store and Google Play Stores respectively due to Epic Games violating their terms of service. Epic Games issued legal action against both, citing that they had a monopoly over their stores on iOS and Android.
Epic Games may have been expecting action from Apple however, having made a parody of Apple’s own 1984 commercial; appealing to their fans to support them. Apple have allegedly threatened to terminate all of Epic Games’ App Store developer accounts and cut off tools for development on iOS and Mac.
Now, Epic Games have taken light of the situation with their “#FreeFortnite Cup.” Stating it is “the final days of the entire Fortnite community’s ability to play together,” the in-game event will be held on August 23rd. “Players on iOS devices will be left behind on Chapter 2 – Season 3 while everyone else jumps into the Chapter 2 – Season 4 launch on August 27.”
Players will have the chance to win the Tart Tycoon Outfit, based off the Apple-headed costume in the 1984 parody video Epic Games made. The “top scoring” players in all regions will win a real life #FreeFortnite adjustable hat, complete with logo parodying Apple’s classic rainbow logo.
There will also be giveaways of 1,200 pieces of gaming hardware, including Alienware and Razer Gaming Laptopms, Samsung Galaxy Tab S7s, One Plus 8 – 90 FPS for mobile, PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One X, and Nintendo Switch consoles. You can find the full rules here.
For those who are on mobile devices and wish to participate in Chapter 2 – Season 4, Epic Games recommends the following.
- “Login to epicgames.com and make sure your account details are up to date in case you need to migrate platforms. All your game data, purchased items, and friends are stored in your Epic account and can be accessed from any device that can play Fortnite.
- iOS players should check this list of alternative Fortnite-compatible devices, you may already have access to another way to play Fortnite. If so, simply install the game and login with your Epic account to get up and running.
- Android players, you can still play Fortnite on your device! Please visit this link on your Android phone to learn how. It’s easy and only takes a few minutes.
- Frustrated because you’re blocked on iOS? Make your voice heard by messaging @AppStore on social with #FreeFortnite.”
Fortnite is available on Windows PC, Mac (both via the Epic Games Store), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Holiday 2020 on PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X. It used to be available on Android, and iOS.