Fortnite Returns to Google Play Store After Legal Battle
After a five-year absence, Fortnite is back on Android devices through the Google Play Store. Epic Games, the developers of the popular game, have settled a long-standing legal dispute with Google, allowing the game to be downloaded once again in the US.
The return of Fortnite coincides with the release of the season seven update for the battle royale title. The game was removed from both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store in 2020 after Epic Games attempted to bypass the 30% commission on in-app purchases.
While Android users in the US can now easily download Fortnite from the Play Store, players outside the country still need to find alternative ways to access the game. Epic Games has promised to provide updates on the availability of the game in other regions.
In a related development, Google recently lost an appeal regarding the legality of its Google Play Store as a monopoly. However, the tech giant has since reached a settlement with Epic Games, with both parties working towards court approval of the agreement.
On the Apple front, Fortnite made a comeback to the App Store earlier this year following a court ruling that required Apple to revise its policies. Although Apple’s appeal was unsuccessful, a recent decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has introduced new considerations for fees on external purchases made through the App Store.
Epic Games CEO, Tim Sweeney, sees these legal developments as a step towards fair competition in the mobile payment industry, declaring the “Apple Tax” as obsolete in the US and heralding a new era of payment options on iOS devices.
