Fortnite players who have the game installed on their iPhones, Android smartphones, and Mac computers will soon be subject to additional limitations due to the ‘legacy’ version of the game. Players will no longer be able to use V-Bucks – the in-game currency – to purchase in-game items, and there is now an age restriction in place as well.
Fortnite ‘restrictions’ on iPhones, Android
In a Twitter thread, Fortnite announced that starting January 30, all players using the August 2020 build will no longer be able to spend V-Bucks and must be over 18 to play. The company stated that they want to update the game with current services, including parental controls, but they cannot due to the ‘restrictions’ on Fortnite by Apple and Google.
“Beginning January 30, Fortnite players using the August 2020 13.40 app build previously available on iOS, Mac, and Google Play can no longer spend V-Bucks and must be over 18 to play,” Fortnite’s service update handle said in a tweet.
“We want all versions of our games to use the current suite of Epic Online Services including parental controls, purchasing defaults, and parental verification features. We are not able to update the app on these platforms given Apple and Google’s restrictions on Fortnite,” it added.
Fortnite ban
Fortnite was removed from the App Store and Google Play store in August 2020 after it breached one of their app store rules. The tech giants receive up to 30% of the revenue generated from app stores and in-app purchases. Epic Games initiated its own in-app payment scheme in Fortnite, which directly violated Apple and Google’s app store guidelines.
Interestingly, the development comes three weeks after Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney sparked speculation that Fortnite will return to Apple iOS devices in 2023.
Gamers still have various ways to play the updated game on Mac PCs and iPhones using Nvidia’s GeForce Now streaming service. Android smartphone users can play the game on Xbox Cloud Gaming.
