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Again, it’s possible to play Fortnite on your iPhone (or any iOS device for that matter). On Thursday, Microsoft announced that the popular Royal Battle is now free to play on mobile browsers through Xbox’s cloud gaming service, which allows players to stream games directly to their devices.
Microsoft’s partnership with Fortnite maker Epic Games avoids Apple’s App Store, which removed Fortnite in 2020 after Epic allowed players to pay directly, bypassing Apple’s 30 percent commission on all in-app purchases. . Epic eventually sued Apple over the technology giant’s business model, and the lawsuit became a landmark case of how people pay for services on their phones. Last year, a federal judge ruled that Apple should allow app developers to “direct” customers to alternative payment processing services, but ruled that Epic had failed to prove Apple’s monopoly.
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Fortnite is one of the most popular games ever made and is not yet available for download from Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Both Epic and Apple appealed the decision last year, and Epic has a separate lawsuit against Google for its Google Play store. Apple has said it will not allow Fortnite back in its store until the verdict in the case is final. Now, using Microsoft’s cloud service, all you need to play Fortnite is a Microsoft account and a device you can surf the web. There are no membership fees or installation applications.
Epic Games declined to answer questions about the partnership. A Microsoft spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. On Twitter, Tim Sweeney, chief executive of Epic Games, called the partnership “monumental news,” saying the streaming setup would work around Apple’s payment system.
Monumental news for everyone! Fortnite is now available to play for FREE streaming in web browsers on iPhone, iPad and Android via Xbox Cloud. No subscription required, no 30% Apple tax. https://t.co/eHs1Xvh6D2
– Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) May 5, 2022
It is unclear whether Microsoft will charge a commission for any of the in-game purchases through their cloud service. Florian Ederer, an associate professor of economics at Yale School of Management, wrote in an email that the partnership is a “great opportunity” for Microsoft to upgrade its existing catalog of streaming games. However, Ederer said the player experience may never be as good as in an app.
“Given the internet connection of most players, the ranking is still sub-optimal,” Ederer wrote. “This may be less of a threat to Apple, as gamers may be reluctant to accept the higher latency and poorer graphics of cloud-based games.”
Last April, Epic Games decided not to offer Fortnite in Microsoft’s cloud gaming service, as the developer initially saw the platform as a competitor to Epic’s own digital gaming store, according to a report by The Verge. Ederer told The Post that Epic’s decision not to work with Microsoft at the time reinforced their argument that Apple owned a market from which they were excluded.
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Fortnite is the first free game to be offered on the Xbox Cloud Gaming Service. Until now, players had to pay a monthly fee to access Microsoft’s game library, just like other streaming entertainment services. In a statement on its website announcing the partnership with Epic Games, Microsoft said the company plans to continue adding more free titles to its library of cloud games.
“We want to make the games available to 3 billion players worldwide, and the cloud plays an important role in this mission,” the statement said. “We just want you to have more choice in both the games you play and the way you choose to play them.”
Shannon Liao and Jean Park contributed to this report.
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