Discourse surrounding the public legal battle between Epic Games and Apple has so many onlookers choosing sides, and Epic has something special planned for those siding with them. A tournament called the #FreeFortnite Cup will take place on August 23rd, with winners receiving a number of prizes including a “Free Fortnite” hat and an evil apple in-game skin. The skin comes from a spoof of Apple’s famous “1984” ad that Epic produced to launch its campaign against the technology juggernaut.
Players also have the chance to win gaming hardware, like a Galaxy Tab S7, an Alienware laptop, an OnePlus 8 phone, a PlayStation 4 Pro, an Xbox One X, and a Nintendo Switch. Notice that none of these devices are iOS devices; keeping up with the anti-Apple theme. In the announcement, Epic shares their desire to stay connected with players through these other non-iOS platforms, and urges them to “fight against @AppStore on social with #FreeFortnite.” After August 27th, Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 4 will begin, effectively leaving iOS players behind. They can still join into the tournament though, as a way to enjoy what Epic is calling “one more Victory Royale with friends across all platforms.“
Apple has responded to Epic’s very public rally against them for the first time today, citing that Epic CEO Tim Sweeney allegedly requested a “special deal.” Sweeney immediately denied the allegations via Twitter, claiming his motives lie with benefitting all developers, not just Epic. He also shares an excerpt from the request in question, highlighting the portion of the statement that mentions similar deals for all iOS developers. It’s clear that Epic has no issue taking things to the court of public opinion, and rallying their supporters with events like the #FreeFortnite Cup. Those who want to participate can log onto Fortnite and go to the Compete tab to see when the event starts for their region.