Apple Asked by Epic Games to Allow Fortnite's Re-Release in South Korea Following Passage of New Law

Epic filed a case last year after it implemented its own in-app payment system in Fortnite to avoid Apple's commissions.

By Reuters | Updated: 10 September 2021 09:44 IST

Apple Asked by Epic Games to Allow Fortnite's Re-Release in South Korea Following Passage of New Law

Epic intends to re-release Fortnite on iOS in Korea offering both Epic payment and Apple payment

Highlights

Apple agreed to loosen App Store restrictions
Apple collects commissions between 15 percent and 30 percent
Apple kicked the game off the App Store

Fortnite creator Epic Games has asked iPhone maker Apple to restore its Fortnite developer account and intends to re-release the popular game on iOS in South Korea, offering both Epic and Apple payment side-by-side, it said in a tweet.

"Epic intends to re-release Fortnite on iOS in Korea offering both Epic payment and Apple payment side-by-side in compliance with the new Korean law," it said.

Epic has asked Apple to restore our Fortnite developer account. Epic intends to re-release Fortnite on iOS in Korea offering both Epic payment and Apple payment side-by-side in compliance with the new Korean law.
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) September 9, 2021

Legal experts and developers around the world are awaiting a decision in an antitrust case Epic has filed against Apple in a US court.

Epic filed the case last year after it implemented its own in-app payment system in Fortnite to avoid Apple's commissions. Apple told Epic that the move had violated its rules and kicked the game off the App Store.

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Last week, South Korea's parliament approved a bill that bans major app store operators, including Apple, from forcing software developers to use their payment systems, effectively stopping them from charging commissions on in-app purchases.

Two days later, Apple said it would let some apps like Netflix provide links to their websites for user payments.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

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