NEW YORK: Apple and Google dropped the popular game Fortnite from their app stores after the game’s developer introduced a direct payment plan that bypasses their platforms.
Apple and Google both take a 30% cut from in-app revenue purchases in games, which has long been a sore spot with developers.
Fortnite is free, but users can pay for in game accoutrements like weapons and skins. Its developer, Epic Games, said in a blog post Thursday that it was introducing Epic Direct payments, a direct payment plan for Apple’s iOS and Google Play. Epic said the system is the same payment system it already uses to process payments on PC and Mac computers and Android phones.
Apple and Google said the service violates their guidelines.
“Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed or approved by Apple, and they did so with the express intent of violating the App Store guidelines regarding in-app payments that apply to every developer who sells digital goods or services,” Apple said in statement.
Google said Fortnite will remain available on Android, just not through its app store. Android users can download the app from other app stores, although that’s generally not an option for iPhone users.
Epic Games did not immediately return a request for comment. Epic’s Fortnite Twitter account said the company would debut a new short film called “Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite,” a seeming parody of Apple’s iconic “1984” commercial that introduced the Macintosh computer. It has also filed a complaint against Apple in the US District Court in Northern California for dropping Fortnite.
Apple, Google drop Fortnite from app stores over payments
https://arab.news/znkqh
Apple, Google drop Fortnite from app stores over payments
- Google said Fortnite will remain available on Android, just not through its app store
- Apple and Google both take a 30% cut from in-app revenue purchases in games
Talks underway with Saudi Arabia on higher oil flows: Pakistani oil minister
RIYADH: Pakistan is in talks with Saudi Arabia to increase the flow of petroleum products to the country in order to serve shared economic interests and secure Islamabad’s growing energy needs, Pakistani Oil Minister Ali Pervaiz told Al-Eqtisadiah.
Pervaiz said that Pakistan, as a net energy importer with a bill ranging between $15 billion and $20 billion, seeks to strengthen its strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia in the energy and mining sectors and looks forward to benefiting from the Kingdom’s vast hydrocarbon potential.
Speaking on the sidelines of his participation in the Future Minerals Forum hosted in Riyadh, the minister said the timing of the event is ideal given the pivotal stage the world is going through and the rising demand for vital minerals amid ongoing technological development.
He noted that the conference represents a vital platform for discussing opportunities to establish new mines and mobilize the capital needed to operate them, particularly as production from existing mines declines and price volatility increases due to global conflicts, making international cooperation an urgent necessity for the stability of this vital sector.
Regarding bilateral relations, Pervaiz stressed that ties between Riyadh and Islamabad have reached unprecedented levels of strength and depth, citing the numerous meetings between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which he said have exceeded 12 since Sharif took office three years ago.
He added that there is a clear governmental mandate for working groups in both countries to build a comprehensive framework for economic cooperation, with a particular focus on the mining sector, which he described as one of the main pillars of future projects currently under review.
The minister said Pakistan is expecting to host a high-level Saudi delegation at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2026, scheduled for April, noting that the event is expected to see the signing of several agreements and memoranda of understanding aimed at advancing cooperation in geological studies and mining sector development.
He added that work is underway with the Saudi side to implement tangible projects on the ground, strengthening the existing partnership, which spans multiple areas, including ongoing defense cooperation, further consolidating the two countries’ position as strategic partners in the region.
