Fortnite has announced the #FreeFortnite tournament on August 23 as its legal battle against Apple continues and its App Store cut-off date approaches.
Last week, Apple and Google removed Fortnite from their respective smartphone app store markets after Epic released a direct payment option in-game that bypassed both the app store’s billing policy.
Apple had also informed the game publisher that all of its developer accounts will be terminated on August 28 and their access to iOS and Mac development tools will also be restricted, which caused further trouble as Epic’s Unreal Engine project would suffer a blow.
Epic filed a legal complaint against Apple and also asked the courts to issue a restraining order against the Cupertino-based tech titan’s decision to cut them off from iOS and Mac dev tools.
Apple and Google enjoy a 30% commission on sales made through their respective app stores and Fortnite’s decision made a dent in their prospective revenues, which led to retaliation. Epic had planned to pass on the savings to the gamers by lowering the prices of items across its in-game store.
#FreeFortnite Cup
Epic is hosting the #FreeFortnite cup on Sunday as a means to gather support from its player-base and launch a digital protest of sorts against Apple’s decision. Prizes include the Tart Tycoon outfit, gaming hardware and apparel.
Players can check the exact time when the tournament starts in their local time zone via the Compete tab in-game. The #FreeFortnite cup will last four hours, during which players can compete for prizes.
Solo players will be able to compete in up to 12 matches and the prizes are as follows: 1 point for every three minutes survived on BR island; 1 point per elimination and 10 points for each Victory Royale. The top 20,000 players globally will receive a #FreeFortnite hat in real life, which will be shipped to their home. Moreover, the top 1200 players on the leaderboard stand a chance to win gaming hardware, including Alienware gaming laptops, Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, OnePlus 8, PS4, Xbox One X and Nintendo Switch. The complete details and rules of the tournament are available here.
As Epic is launching its Chapter 2- Season 4 on August 27, iOS users will be left behind on Season 3, which will still be available to other Fortnite players on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac and GeForce Now.
Last week, Epic also released a parody of the 1984-inspired Macintosh commercial, taking a jibe at the Cupertino-based tech titan.
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