Fortnite Coming Back to iOS Soon Thanks to Nvidia's GeForce NOW Service

[MacRumors]

With the Apple vs. Epic Games lawsuit continuing on, there are no signs that Apple has any intention of allowing popular battle royale game Fortnite to return to the App Store on iPhone and iPad.

Epic Games has found a workaround though, by partnering up with Nvidia. GeForce NOW, Nvidia's streaming gaming service, will soon add Fortnite support, allowing Fortnite to be played through a browser on iOS devices with touch-based controls.

Nvidia in November 2020 introduced Safari integration, allowing GeForce NOW's library of games to be played on iOS devices. At the time, Nvidia said that it was working with Epic Games on a touch-friendly version of Fortnite that would run on the iPhone and iPad.

More than a year later, Fortnite for mobile is nearly ready to launch. Nvidia today announced the upcoming release of a Fortnite limited time closed beta, which users can sign up for.

There is a waitlist on the GeForce NOW website, and Nvidia says that players can register for free for a chance to play the new touch-control version of Fortnite on mobile devices. The game is going to be available on Android and iOS devices through browser integration.

Those interested in participating will need to create an Nvidia account and sign up for the waitlist, and sign up for a GeForce NOW membership. Both free and priority memberships have an equal chance of gaining access to the beta, but Nvidia says that spots are limited.

Selected beta testers will receive access to the Fortnite mobile game later in January, and after the limited time beta, we can expect to see an official launch of the Fortnite experience for GeForce NOW. There is no word at this time when Fortnite might be more widely available.

The Fortnite app has not been available from the iOS App Store since August 13, 2020, which is when Apple pulled it after Epic Games broke Apple's App Store guidelines by adding a direct purchase option.

An initial decision was reached in the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit earlier this year, but both companies are appealing and there was no provision in the ruling requiring Apple to reinstate Fortnite.

Apple in September said that it had no plans to consider allowing Fortnite back into the App Store until the legal battle has played out, a process that could span multiple years.

Article Link: Fortnite Coming Back to iOS Soon Thanks to Nvidia's GeForce NOW Service

 

[Macintosh TV]

No one over the age of 15 cares.

 

[BootsWalking]

Nvidia is probably doing this out of spite considering its salty relationship with Apple.

 

[AppleTO]

I'm not a gamer by any means, but I can't imagine playing a game like this in a browser is anywhere near as good as a native app. But I guess it's better than nothing.

 

[fwmireault]

Let’s see, I bet that Epic Games in a few months will sue Nvidia, because Nvidia charges a fee to allow Fornite on its platform. They’ll call it a monopoly and will ask courts to give them a right to use Nvidia streaming service for free

 

[zorinlynx]

>allowing Fortnite to be played through a browser on iOS devices with touch-based controls.

Anyone who has ever played a shooter is laughing so hard right now.

 

[macintoshmac]

Tim will now “personally handle” nVIDIA and get bonus stock options.

Apple would try to get Fortnite to stay away any which way they can.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Tim will now “personally handle” nVIDIA and get bonus stock options.

Apple would try to get Fortnite to stay away any which way they can.

That's what I was thinking too. Apple has not been happy with Fortnite's approach. So, I'm sure Apple's legal team is reviewing what needs to be done to stay from the iOS devices. Unless there is an on-contract or agreement in place.

 

[lazyrighteye]

I know an 11-yo boy who has an iPad and will be THRILLED to learn this. Just set up an account w/ Nvidia. ?

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Great job Nvidia. Now we’ll never see official GeForce support for eGPUs.

 

[44267547]

I'm not a gamer by any means, but I can't imagine playing a game like this in a browser is anywhere near as good as a native app. But I guess it's better than nothing.

What do you mean? This will play amazing on Firefox. 😁

 

[polaris20]

No one over the age of 15 cares.

LOL perhaps, but I do enjoy playing it. It's something for my son and I to play together. Still, Epic are just a bunch of crybabies on this, and they're probably losing boatloads over this and the Google suit.

 

[PhilJustRidingAlong]

Another reason Nvida should not be allowed to buy ARM. If you fallout with Nvida they could play dirty with an ARM licensee.

 

[blazerunner]

No one over the age of 15 cares.

LOL, what an ignorant statement.

Know this; the gaming industry is bigger than hollywood and sports... combined.

You think its KIDS spending all that money?

 

[blazerunner]

Nvidia is probably doing this out of spite considering it's salty relationship with Apple.

Someone gets it.

 

[Realityck]

Does anybody really play it still?

 

[alex00100]

Let’s see, I bet that Epic Games in a few months will sue Nvidia, because Nvidia charges a fee to allow Fornite on its platform. They’ll call it a monopoly and will ask courts to give them a right to use Nvidia streaming service for free

Except the difference with apple is that Nvidia is not charging epic ANYTHING. They actually allow epic store to run INSIDE the streaming service.

 

[SamuelFleming]

LOL, what an ignorant statement.

Know this; the gaming industry is bigger than hollywood and sports... combined.

You think its KIDS spending all that money?

I thought you were just making noise, but I decided to look it up. Dang, $180+ billion a year! That is incredible. I had no idea.

 

[temende]

That's what I was thinking too. Apple has not been happy with Fortnite's approach. So, I'm sure Apple's legal team is reviewing what needs to be done to stay from the iOS devices. Unless there is an on-contract or agreement in place.

How can Apple ban Fortnite if it's being distributed through a web browser?

 

[genovelle]

Except the difference with apple is that Nvidia is not charging epic ANYTHING. They actually allow epic store to run INSIDE the streaming service.

It also cost Apple nothing as they are not using any of their API or benefiting from their platform marketing or the value of their name. Not to mention the Billion credit cards on file that they earned the right to.

Apple has no issue with them using a browser. They have said this often b

 

[yabeweb]

It also cost Apple nothing as they are not using any of their API or benefiting from their platform marketing or the value of their name. Not to mention the Billion credit cards on file that they earned the right to.

Apple has no issue with them using a browser. They have said this often b

If enought developers start doing this, Apple will care and will have issue.

 

[MisterK]

Apple would be wise to pursue Fortnite and other popular games on the Mac (as well as iOS). I know they've shown very little interest in Mac gaming for a long time, but with remote schooling and more kids getting their own devices during the pandemic, it could be time to recommit in this industry that's bigger than Hollywood and North American sports combined. I'm not saying that they're going to take much market share away from gaming PCs or consoles, but one advantage of an M1 Mac over a Chromebook or Chrome-Based all-in-one would be power to do these sorts of things.

A computer that works well with their status-showing blue bubble messaging iPhone, lets them do their school work, and play Fortnite, Ark, Overwatch, etc could be a pretty compelling sale. Google's stellar web-based productivity apps (Docs, Sheets, Drive, and Classroom), along with cheap device prices give them a distinct advantage amongst the K-12 set. Apple needs every single drop of advantage they can squeeze out of their more premium offering to compete. Better interoperability with iPhones/iPads, more powerful processors, better designed devices.

I also think Apple needs to recommit to their versions of every Google app. Kids develop affinity for the platforms they grow up with. Mac users as students today are Mac buyers of tomorrow.

 

[roar08]

I thought you were just making noise, but I decided to look it up. Dang, $180+ billion a year! That is incredible. I had no idea.

And it's been true for a while:

Videogames now outperform Hollywood movies

Titles such as Halo: ODST are drawing people away from cinemas, television and DVDs

www.theguardian.com

 

[Piggie]

Does anybody really play it still?

With more than 80.4 million Fortnite monthly active users and up to 4 million concurrent players every day, Fortnite is the most popular battle royale game in 2022. With the massive cumulative tournament prize pool of $7.88 million in 2020, Fortnite is the third leading eSports game in the world

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

How can Apple ban Fortnite if it's being distributed through a web browser?

Apple can simply find a way to block the website from its own safari browser? They can also enforce it to another browser that’s being offered. That’s honestly not hard to do. It’s t just needs some legal enforcement