Epic Games today announced a Fortnite Mega Drop where it is offering a 20 percent discount on V-Bucks. More importantly though, with the update, Epic Games is introducing a direct payment method in ‘Fortnite’ for iOS.

App Store rules prohibit an app developer from offering a direct payment method other than Apple’s own inside their apps and games. It is unclear whether Epic Games and Apple have reached an agreement here or if it just an oversight on Apple’s part. For now, Epic Games is also offering ‘Fortnite’ users a 20 percent discount for any in-app transaction done directly through Epic. The new direct payment method is also being made available in the Android version of the game.

The company explicitly notes in its announcement that the 20 percent discount will not be available for customers if they use Apple’s payment option due to the 30 percent fees collected by the company. It could, however, pass the savings to users “if Apple or Google lower their fees on payments in the future.”

Our Take

It will be interesting to see how Epic Games managed to bypass App Store regulations. It is possible that Apple is testing the waters here by allowing Epic Games to offer a direct payment method inside ‘Fortnite.’ Epic Games has heavily criticized Apple for its App Store policies in the past.