Apple might ban Fortnite from iPhones for a year

The court battle between Apple and Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite, is heating up. 

Epic claims that Apple might ban Fortnite from iOS devices for a full year, The Guardian reported Wednesday. 

The figure comes from a legal filing from Epic, which quotes a letter sent from Apple to Epic, informing the company that its Apple Developer Agreement is terminated. 

“Finally, please note that we will deny your reapplication to the Apple Developer Program for at least a year considering the nature of your acts,” the letter says. 

Apple previously indicated that Epic’s access to the developer program would be restored if it removed the in-game payment system from Fortnite. 

In August, Epic added a way to purchase V-bucks, its in-game currency, in the Fortnite app. Apple said that this violates App Store guidelines, which prohibit developers from launching their own in-app stores, thus avoiding Apple’s 30-percent cut of  purchases. 

After Apple banned Fortnite from the App Store, Epic sued, and Apple countersued.

The court hearing in the trial is scheduled for later this month, and the trial could last for a year, The Guardian claims. In the filing, Epic claims that “Apple’s retaliation will irreparably harm Epic and millions of its customers,” and asks the court to grant it a preliminary injunction, which would restore Fortnite to the App Store until the trial is over. 

Even after all of this, players can still access Fortnite on their iPhones, provided they had it installed before Apple booted the app from the App Store, though they aren’t able to update it. 

However, this is getting tougher to do by the day. Earlier today, Epic announced that Fortnite players will no longer be able to use Sign in with Apple to access their Fortnite accounts starting Friday.