Fortnitemaker Epic Games and Apple are currently embroiled in a public battle over Apple’s App Store policies, and in the latest move in the dispute, Epic has a Fortnite tournament that takes place August 23, where players can compete to win anti-Apple prizes.
Last week, Epic added a new direct payment system Fortnite contrary to Apple’s policies. Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store the same day, and shortly thereafter Epic launched a campaign against Apple by prosecuting the company, releasing a “Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite” video mocking the famous 1984 ad with Apple, and the hashtag #FreeFortnite promote.
Players participating in the tournament have the chance to win a skin in the game from the evil-looking apple included in Epic’s “Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite” video (formerly called “Tart Tycoon”), a ” Free Fortnite “hat, and even non-iOS gaming hardware, including an Alienware laptop, a Galaxy Tab S7, a OnePlus 8 phone, a PlayStation 4 Pro, an Xbox One X, or a Nintendo Switch.
In his blog about the tournament, Epic iOS players also reminded that they can not play next season Fortnite, which is scheduled to launch on August 27 and will likely add major updates to the game. (This is not a new refrain – the studio used similar posts last week.) Epic suggested iOS players consider migrating to other platforms where Fortnite is available before the start of next season (which includes the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac, and Android) and express their dissatisfaction by tweeting directly to Apple with the #FreeFortnite hashtag.
Earlier this week, Epic filed a preliminary injunction to try to stop Apple from cutting out the studio from Apple’s developer program, but Apple said it would “make no exception” for Epic. In the conviction, Epic said that Apple will remove Epic from the Apple Developer Program on August 28th.
