Fortnite could return to iPhone thanks to Nvidia: understand how
In mid-August 2020, Epic Games' game Fortnite was banned from the AppStore after the company tried to get around charging a fee from the Apple regarding the title's revenue. Both companies are now in a legal dispute, but a "workaround" by Nvidia could end up not only putting Fortnite on the iPhone again, as well as ensuring that Epic doesn't pay anything for it.
According to information from the BBC, Nvidia has managed to create, in tests, a version of its cloud gaming platform – Nvidia GeForce Now – that runs on the Safari browser owned by the company. Apple. The idea is that GeForce Now users will be able to run any PC game on any platform, through a web browser.
GeForce Now, NVidia's cloud gaming platform, lets you run PC games on any platform (Image: Disclosure/NVidia)
Fortnite is one of the games supported by GeForce Now and, fortunately for Epic, any app that runs through an intermediary in browsers Apple do not require a formal contract with the Cupertino company – any financial or legal responsibility for this falls to Nvidia.
And here comes the crux of the matter: since Fortnite would be running on GeForce Now and this, in turn, would be running on Safari, then, theoretically, the Epic Games game can run on the browser. Apple, without the Apple in itself can charge nothing for this.
There is currently no stable version of GeForce Now running on iOS or iPadOS devices, but Nvidia wants to bring the platform to all possible fronts. It remains to be seen how this will play out (or not) between Epic and Apple.
Fortnite on iPhone: understand the fight between Apple and Epic
The dispute between the Cupertino company and the owner of Unreal Engine has been going on for a few months now, and has even involved other companies in the mess. To understand it, it is important that you know the context of how an app should behave within the App Store.
By contract, app developers of all sizes must, mandatorily, give 30% of their revenue to Apple, as a way to pay for the maintenance of the application within the store of the company headed by Tim Cook. This practice is common on several other platforms: Google does it with the Play Store; Sony does it with the PlayStation Network and so on.
In the case of Apple, however, this is more obvious: Google allows you to create apps for Android without relying on the Play Store – Fortnite itself does this – and, consequently, escape the fees requested. Apple does not have this opening: applications for iOS, macOS, iPadOS and watchOS must be distributed via the AppStore – anything outside of this is understood by the company as “piracy”.
Fortnite was banned from the AppStore in August, but could be back thanks to NVidia (Image: Koshiro K/Shutterstock)
Following us this far? Great.
The Fortnite “ban” on the iPhone was due to Epic, unhappy with the charging of fees Apple, created a direct payment method within the game, so that users could acquire benefits without the company giving 30% of this to Apple. The iPhone maker found out and, citing a breach of contract terms, terminated the developer account Epic had to access the store.
Since then, Epic and Apple are in a huge legal fight. On the one hand, Apple accuses Epic of violating the agreed terms and trying to “free ride” on a service that, for others, is paid. Epic accuses Apple to inhibit innovation in the sector by engaging in a practice that, in their understanding, represents the monopolization of a system.
Spotify is one of the companies that faced problems with charging fees Apple (Image: Disclosure/Spotify)
The fight doesn't stop there: companies like Spotify and Match Group (owner of Tinder, Plenty of Fish, Match.com, OKCupid and several other dating apps), among others, joined Epic in creating a coalition that specifically aims to combat the practice of Apple.
The coalition hasn't done anything practical yet, but individually, Spotify and Match Group have already criticized the 30% fee. Apple, claiming that because of this, they are forced to increase the prices of their subscriptions, passing this cost on to consumers. In addition, Spotify criticized the service AppleOne, which according to the company, uses illegal practices.
It's important to note that there's still a long way to go before you see Fortnite on your iPhone again: Apple will hardly accept your return without a fight and, given the companies' legal situation, things could get worse before they get better.
Through which channels you reach those people, classic and out of the box. BBC.
