Apple vs. Epic Games: Inside The Real Life Battle Royale

Fortnite is the game that launched the “Battle Royale” mode into the stratosphere. Now, the whole world knows what this term means: that only one victor will be left standing when the fighting stops.

Now, it looks like the Battle Royale has escaped our screens and crossed over into real life. Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, is now taking on the tech giant Apple. The fighting is fierce on both sides, and it can be difficult for even the most dedicated gamer to stay on top of these events.

What’s behind all the fighting, and what will the fallout mean for gamers? Here is everything you need to know about the real life battle royale between Apple and Epic Games.

Direct payment controversy

It may not be surprising that all of this started over money. However, the exact way that things went down was pretty unexpected!

With Apple devices, users must use Apple’s purchasing mechanics within the App Store for things like game purchases or subscription services. For example, Fortnite players on Apple devices would use Apple’s in-app system to pay $9.99 in turn for 1000 V-Bucks for Fortnite.

The controversy started when Epic Games added a direct payment system to their game. This allowed users to pay only $7.99 within the game for 1000 V-Bucks instead of $9.99 through Apple.

Needless to say, Apple was not pleased.

RELATED: Epic Games Sues Apple After Fortnite Is Removed From App Stores

Apple makes Fortnite disappear

The first step that Apple took against Epic Games was also the most obvious. Epic’s changes affected everyone playing Fortnite on an Apple device. Therefore, Apple removed the ability to play Fortnite on their devices.

Apple yanked Fortnite from their App Store on August 13, and you might think the story ended there. However, Epic Games turned around and sued Apple over their various iOs commission rates and policies. And Epic made it very public by involving their army of fans to take part in an anti-Apple social media campaign.

Just as Epic Games escalated their attacks, Apple escalated its response. And their next response is one that could shake the gaming world to its core.