'Fortnite: Save the World' will no longer work on macOS starting Sept. 23

The latest casualty in the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic Games is the castle-building, players vs. zombies version of Fortnite called Fortnite: Save the World. It will no longer work on macOS starting September 23. Fortnite: Save the World also stopped receiving updates when Apple cut off Epic's access to its developer account where it manages its games. Epic blames Apple for preventing them from distributing updates to the game, which will cause bugs in the future.

Epic will refund all players who bought any Save the World Founder's or Starter Packs (including Upgrades) and played the game on macOS between September 17, 2019, and September 17, 2020. According to Epic, any purchased V-Bucks spent on Llamas on macOS will also be refunded. Starter packs are no longer available for purchase on macOS. The developer cautions that it might take up to October 2, 2020, to receive the refunds. But there's no action needed from your end.

This announcement comes after a new legal filing from Apple accuses Epic's actions as a thinly-disguised attempt to reinvigorate interest in Fortnite. Apple's 37-page opposition to Epic's request for a preliminary injunction that would force Apple to allow Fortnite back on the App Store is scathing and a reminder that Apple isn't going to back down. The two companies are scheduled to appear in court on September 28.

"Epic started a fire, and poured gasoline on it, and now asks this Court for emergency assistance in putting it out, even though Epic can do so itself in an instant by simply adhering to the contractual terms that have profitably governed its relationship with Apple for years," Apple's opposition reads.

Apple cites Google Trends in claims that interest in the game dropped by nearly 70% from October 2019 to July 2020, calling the developer "a saboteur, not a martyr."  

The court document also mentions, "The only reason third-party Fortnite players and Unreal Engine developers are threatened by this commercial dispute between Epic and Apple is because Epic is sacrificing them to advance its own commercial interests."

Source: Engadget 1 + 2