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Apple boots ‘Fortnite’ from App Store over payment system

Mega-popular battle royale game “Fortnite” has been booted from the App Store after launching an in-app payment system that allowed it to circumvent Apple’s stiff 30-percent fees. The move effectively bars any new downloads of “Fortnite” onto iPhones or iPads, as the App Store is the only way to download new software onto Apple devices. …

Mega-popular battle royale game “Fortnite” has been booted from the App Store after launching an in-app payment system that allowed it to circumvent Apple’s stiff 30-percent fees.

The move effectively bars any new downloads of “Fortnite” onto iPhones or iPads, as the App Store is the only way to download new software onto Apple devices.

Apple’s ban comes after Epic Games, which makes the hit game, rolled out a new direct payment system. Users who opted to pay Epic directly, rather than through the App Store, would receive a 20 percent discount on their purchase.

The California-based tech giant charges developers a 30-percent commission for in-app purchases and restricts them from telling users about cheaper purchasing options.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but told The Verge in a statement that it “will make every effort to work with Epic to resolve these violations so they can return Fortnite to the App Store.”

“Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services,” Apple said.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has in the past complained about the large cuts that Apple takes from in-app purchases, saying that simply selling hardware doesn’t entitle the company to a large cut of developer revenue.

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