Fortnite could well return to iOS in 2023, at least that’s what Tim Sweeney suggests. In a Happy New Year tweet, the Epic boss announced that the battle royale was going to reappear on iPhone and iPad this year – technically, it has already been the case since last May, via le Xbox Cloud Gaming from Microsoft. But we imagine that Sweeney is talking about the native version distributed on the App Store… unless?
Next year on iOS!
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) December 31, 2022
iOS 17 should indeed allow users (European at first) to install applications outside the App Store under the implementation of the DMA (Digital Markets Act). Apple has until March 2024 to comply with these new rules that would allow Epic, or any publisher, to distribute their applications freely.
Apple Will Allow Apps to Be Installed Outside the App Store, Bloomberg Says
But since we do not know how Apple intends to go about respecting the DMA, and given the geographical limits of this opening (unless Apple authorizes this opening everywhere in the world), it is not certain that Tim Sweeney hints at it. He may be hoping to find common ground with Apple as part of the legal proceedings still ongoing with Epic. Or maybe it’s just a joke!