Don't expect Fortnite on the Apple App Store anytime soon

This story about legal grudges, boiled down, in 1:20 minutes.

What's the fuss?

The Apple v. Epic Games lawsuit has reached a verdict, but the battle is far from over.

The situation

In case you missed it, Epic Games (the developer behind the massive hit Fortnite) sued Apple last August over monopolistic App Store policies that ultimately hurts the bottom line of all app developers.

The main trial has since concluded, with the resulting effects leaving a precedent that will change the landscape of mobile purchases forever.
Apple will now allow customers to purchase microtransactions directly through the apps themselves, circumventing Apple's 30% cut from purchasing through the App Store.

It's not all sunshine and roses for Epic Games however.

The judge ruled that their side "failed in its burden to demonstrate Apple is an illegal monopolist" and will not receive any further remedies.
Epic Games is currently in the process of appealing the decision, however Fortnite will not be allowed on the App Store until all appeals have been resolved - potentially taking years.

Boiling it down

For each day Fortnite remains inaccessible to Apple users, they are losing swaths of money.

Before the lawsuit, Fortnite players have spent over $1.2 billion through the App Store since 2018.
Apple is technically losing out on hundreds of millions of commissions, which makes it peculiar that they double-backed on their claims of allowing Fortnite back into the App Store.

Given the appeal process could take up to 5 years, 73 million gamers that previously used iOS specifically to play Fortnite will need to look for a new platform.

On the bright side, they won't need to look very far given the game can be played on any modern device and features cross-play.

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