In 2020, the popular game Fortnite was removed from the App Store after Epic Games added a direct payment option, which violated some of Apple’s guidelines. Despite the ban, those who already had the game installed can still play it, but doing so will now become even more complicated. Epic Games detailed this week that some features of the outdated version will no longer work.
On Twitter (via The Verge), Epic Games said that Fortnite players using version 13.40 of the game will no longer be able to spend their V-Bucks. For those unfamiliar, V-Bucks are Fortnite coins that players can use to buy in-game items. And Fortnite version 13.40 was the latest to be available on the App Store and Google Play for iOS, macOS, and Android.
So, those who still have Fortnite installed on an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Android device through Google Play (since the game was also banned there) will no longer be able to use their virtual coins. Additionally, players of this version of Fortnite must be over the age of 18 as of January 30.
Epic Games explains that this older version of Fortnite also runs an outdated version of Epic Online Services, which manages Fortnite’s parental controls and purchasing policies. As Fortnite has been banned from the App Store and Google Play, it’s becoming difficult to maintain support for this version.
At this point, there probably aren’t many people playing Fortnite with the Apple App Store and Google Play versions. Even though the game still works, it has never been updated with new content, and players can only find other players who also have that same old version of Fortnite.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney teased last year that Fortnite will return to iOS in 2023. Rumors suggest that Apple has been getting ready to allow third-party app stores on iOS in a move to avoid further accusations of anti-competitive practices. Until that happens, you can play Fortnite on iOS using game streaming platforms like GeForce NOW from Nvidia and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
