Popular online video game Fortnite will soon be available to iOS users again. American graphics giant Nvidia has announced that it will bring Fortnite on its cloud gaming service for iOS users. Nvidia owns a cloud gaming service called GeForce NOW. The company said that it is already streaming the beta version of the game on Safari for both iPhone and iPad. Safari is a web browser developed by the iPhone maker. It is also testing the stable version. Released in 2017 by Epic Games, Fortnite was shunted out from App Store following a dispute with Apple. According to Epic Games claim, Fortnite has over 350 million players worldwide, becoming one of the most popular video games in recent times.
Nvidia said that its team is developing a touch-friendly version of Fortnite. The company said that it wants to offer the best experience to the players on mobile with a gamepad. Both Nvidia and Epic Games are together working to improve the touch controls. This is likely to delay the game’s availability for iOS users. Nvidia said that over five million GeForce NOW users will soon get access to the game on Safari. GeForce Now was launched in February 2020. It is distributed through Windows, Mac, Android, and Chromebook hardware. It is also available through dedicated apps. Besides, it is accessible via the Nvidia Shield streaming box.
The dispute between Epic Games and Apple started after the former launched a new direct-payment system. This system in Fortnite was bypassing 30 percent App Store commission, causing revenue loss for Apple. In retaliation, Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store. Apple said that Fortnite was violating its rules. In another related development, Apple has unveiled a new developer program. It seeks to reduce the commission by half. The new program will come into effect from January 1, 2021, and most benefit small businesses and developers with USD 1 million turnovers. The decision to cut the fee comes in the backdrop of Apple facing a barrage of criticism from several quarters for its 30 percent commission.
