Epic Games continues to throw its new-found weight around thanks to its billions in earnings from Fortnite and its backing from Chinese mega-corporation, Tencent, by poking fun at Apple's aggressively defensive actions against Fortnite's circumvention of its app-store earnings cut. In the latest move, it's launched a new #FreeFortnite Tournament and is giving away an Epic Apple skin to anyone who wants it.
This Cup isn't just an attempt to poke fun at Apple, though, it also might be the last time you have to cross-play with people on iOS and Android, after both Google and Apple announced that they'd remove the game from their respective app stores after Epic attempted to allow in-app purchases that didn't siphon 30 percent of all revenue to the storefront owner. This is the major point of contention between the billion-dollar companies, with Epic claiming that by demanding a major cut of in-app purchases even when no Google or Apple technologies are needed to make that possible, makes them monopolistic.
Epic is currently embroiled in a legal debate with both companies, the outcome of which could change the way revenue is handled by mobile app developers forever.
While that will likely take years to resolve, though, the #FreeCortnite cup is here in the here and now and participants who score just 10 points will unlock the Evil Apple skin that Epic showcased in its recent parody of Apple's classic 1984-inspired advert. 20,000 players will also get a free Free Fortnite hat with a Fortnite Llama logo dressed up in Apple's rainbow coloring, and 1,200 other players will get gaming gear like laptops, tablets, and consoles.
You'll get a single point for every three minutes you spend playing, one point per elimination, and another 10 points for winning a match. The cup is set to begin on Sunday August 23 and will last for 12 matches per player. It's for solo players only, no teams allowed.
