When Epic Games made a big show of switching to its own in-app payment system instead of Apple’s without informing the company, the result saw Fortnite banned from its devices.
This did kick off a debate about how app storefronts operate, which is ongoing, but ultimately it meant that Epic Games couldn’t publish Fortnite on the second largest smartphone platform in the world.
But now Microsoft and Epic Games have joined forces to give Apple the finger by allowing Fortnite players to access the game on Apple devices through Xbox Cloud Gaming.
We say that the pair are giving Apple the finger because Microsoft is making Fortnite available to play for free with no subscription, Game Pass or otherwise. This offer does extend to playing Fortnite via a browser for Android and Windows but, why would you when there are dedicated apps for that.
“As part of our mission to bring the joy and community of gaming to players wherever they are and to make gaming more accessible to people around the world, I’m excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Epic Games to make Fortnite available on supported browser-enabled devices for free with Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) in 26 countries,” vice president and head of product at Xbox Cloud Gaming, Catherine Gluckstein said in a statement.
As Xbox Cloud Gaming is accessed via a web URL on iOS devices, this effectively bypasses Apple’s App Store entirely and gives Epic Games a way back into the ecosystem. Of course, this could prove beneficial for Microsoft as well because it puts Xbox Game Pass in the face of users who have potentially never tested the product out.
“We’re starting with Fortnite and will look to bring more Free-to-Play games people love in the future. At Xbox we want to make gaming accessible to the 3 billion players around the world, and cloud has an important role in that mission. Quite simply we want you to have more choice in both the games you play and the way you choose to play them,” says Gluckstein.
This is a small victory for Epic Games but we have to wonder how long it will be before Apple responds and more importantly, how it responds.
Unfortunately, South Africa doesn’t have access to Xbox Cloud Gaming but you can find the 26 countries that do, here.
