Fortnite to Return to iOS via Nvidia GeForce Now Streaming Service

[MacRumors]

Plans are in place to allow users to play Epic Games' "Fortnite" on iOS and iPadOS again using Nvidia's GeForce Now cloud gaming service in Safari, the BBC has discovered.

Nvidia has reportedly developed a version of its GeForce Now cloud gaming service that works in Safari on iOS and iPadOS, and Fortnite looks to be a key title on the platform for Apple devices that have lost the game due to the ongoing legal battle between Epic Games and Apple.

In August 2020, Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store after Epic Games introduced a direct payment option in the app for its in-game currency, defying the App Store rules. In what appears to have been an orchestrated move, Epic Games promptly filed a lawsuit and a press campaign against Apple, accusing the company of anti-competitive behavior.

Using an online streaming service will allow Epic Games to circumvent Apple's ban on the game as an app. iPhone and iPad owners will be able to play Fortnite without charge through GeForce Now's free basic tier, though Nvidia limits these sessions to a duration of one hour.

Other games streaming services, such as Google Stadia, Microsoft xCloud, and Amazon Luna, have also laid out plans to access iOS users via Safari. However, none of these other platforms hosts Fortnite, leaving GeForce Now as the only way to play the game on iPhone or iPad.

Nvidia has not yet formally announced that GeForce will be coming to iOS, but it is expected to do so before the winter holidays. The service is already available for Mac.

After a California judge denied Epic Games' request for a preliminary injunction that would have required Apple to allow Fortnite back into the App Store, the court case between Apple and Epic Games is due to go to trial in May.

Article Link: Fortnite to Return to iOS via Nvidia GeForce Now Streaming Service

 

[Baymowe335]

They always come crawling back.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Trying to come back to the App Store huh! Revenue must be down. They need Apple lol Apple doesn’t need them.

FortNite WHO???

 

[eulslix]

Curious how Apple is gonna try to suck out money out of them this time...

 

[robjulo]

They always come crawling back.

Did you even read the article? They aren't "crawling back".

 

[Spock]

I remember back in the olden days of iPhone, web applications were how Steve Jobs wanted the iPhone to go. I don’t think they originally planned on having an App Store. I remember the web app page that Apple hosted that you could use to find them.

 

[Red Menace]

This has always been the alternative to the App Store - why didn't Epic do it in the first place?

 

[Wowfunhappy]

I remember back in the olden days of iPhone, web applications were how Steve Jobs wanted the iPhone to go. I don’t think they originally planned on having an App Store. I remember the web app page that Apple hosted that you could use to find them.

The Steve Jobs bio implies as much, as well.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Why didn't Epic do this in the first place?

Because Geforce Now didn't work in Safari?

Edit: And by Safari, I also meant other iOS browsers, which per App Store rules use the same Safari engine.

 

[ersan191]

By this logic Shadow and even Windows Remote Desktop or TeamViewer have technically had Fortnite on iOS the whole time... Stupid.

 

[adamdport]

Can safari go fullscreen on ios for anything other than video?

 

[SharkeyStormcrow]

And they’ll soon discover their fan base has moved on to different games.

 

[Madhatter32]

Anyway you cut it, this is good news for both companies. Maybe I'll give Safari another look.

 

[Homme]

Hope Apple stops this at all costs,

 

[Cosmosent]

There will be latency issues !

Nothing can compete with a "native" app when it comes to Performance !

 

[aidler]

Great for Epic. Shows that Apple clearly is on the wrong patch with their insane 30% fee and will not be able to enforce it in the future.

 

[squirrellydw]

I don't think Apple will allow this. They will block it somehow

 

[Attirex]

And Apple will allow this why?

 

[CarpalMac]

This must have been an option they had in mind from the start.
I find it hard to believe they didn't have an "end-of-days" type of out, should things not go the way they wanted.

 

[Chompineer]

There will be latency issues !

Nothing can compete with a "native" app when it comes to Performance !

Have you ever used GeForce Now? As long as you don't have a janky internet connection is lag free.

By this logic Shadow and even Windows Remote Desktop or TeamViewer have technically had Fortnite on iOS the whole time... Stupid.

Except that would be laggy as all hell.

 

[Pirate!]

Great for Epic. Shows that Apple clearly is on the wrong patch with their insane 30% fee and will not be able to enforce it in the future.

But how much are they paying Nvidia?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Can safari go fullscreen on ios for anything other than video?

There will be latency issues !

Nothing can compete with a "native" app when it comes to Performance !

I've already written 3D javascript based games for iOS. Latency isn't at all a problem. You can go fullscreen when you're landscape but in portrait the time and connection/battery/status icons will always be there (at least on pre-iPhone X). There's a few gestures you can't do because they trigger stuff in Safari. Possibly this can be mitigated by recommending players to use a 3rd party browser from the App Store.

The biggest issue is that I don't think there's a good way to manage audio playback. Last I checked, everything is too high level and geared towards just playing one clip at a time, with some uncontrollable delays. There's nothing for positioning audio sources in 3D space (so dynamically changing the stereo mix) or otherwise layering multiple sounds together.

 

[Dreamer2go]

Great for Epic. Shows that Apple clearly is on the wrong patch with their insane 30% fee and will not be able to enforce it in the future.

It's been like that since 2008, why complain now?

 

[randyhudson]

Anyway you cut it, this is good news for both companies. Maybe I'll give Safari another look.

If you're using the Internet on your phone, you're already using Webkit, which is the core implementation of Safari. So you're using a crippled version of Safari, with some pointless wrapper around it that is siphoning off your browsing history and sending it somewhere for profit.

 

[G5isAlive]

Did you even read the article? They aren't "crawling back".

No. It is worse. Rather than settle it like big boys they are letting a third party slide them in. Of course if Epix was smart they never would have pulled this stunt in the first place.