Epic taunts Apple with a FreeFortnite tournament as legal battle rages on

After getting pulled off the App Store and the Play Store, Epic Games sued both Apple and Google. But Apple seems to be the main target for Epic's taunts as it asked players to come together for the #FreeFortnite Cup with “All of your friends. Awesome prizes. And one bad apple.”

Epic Games asked Fortnite fans to come together in the “final days of the entire Fortnite community’s ability to play together” and join the #FreeFortnite cup.  (Epic Games)

Epic Games sued both Apple and Google for pulling Fortnite off the App Store and the Play Store, but the developers seem to be particularly pissed with Apple. 

Given that you can still side-load the game on Android devices from the Epic Games' store or from the Samsung Galaxy Store (for Samsung devices only) might have something to do with Epic being a little lax on Google, but we are over-simplifying the matter here. 

After parodying Apple's iconic 1984 video, Epic has now decided to taunt Apple by launching a tournament, scheduled for Sunday (August 23) to highlight its war with Apple and its App Store policies. 

“These are the final days of the entire Fortnite community's ability to play together. Apple has blocked Fortnite from the App Store, preventing players from updating to new versions. Players on iOS devices will be left behind on Chapter 2 - Season 3 while everyone else jumps into the Chapter 2 - Season 4 launch on August 27,” Epic wrote on its website. 

The game devs have called in fans to celebrate the quest for one more Victory Royale with friends across platforms -

“All of your friends. Awesome prizes. And one bad apple. We're droppin the #FreeFortnite Cup.”

Apple users who have Fortnite on their iPhones already can participate in this tournament. The game on iPhones will not receive the new update for Chapter 2 Season 4 that will roll out on August 27. Since Apple has pulled the game off the App Store, the game is only accessible till a new iOS update comes in. 

To join the tournament you need to head over to the in-game Compete tab once the tournament kicks off in your region at the scheduled time. Players can drop in to the tournament by selecting the #FreeFortnite Cup Playlist. 

Epic explains that for four hours, eligible players have the opportunity to win prizes in the #FreeFortnite Cup. You can ompete as a Solo player in up to 12 matches and the scoring is as follows:

Active Time - 1 point for every 3 minutes on the BR island.

Eliminations - 1 point per Elim

Victory Royale - 10 points for each Victory Royale

So, what can you win?

The #FreeFortnite Cup give you a chance to win a host of prizes including in-game outfits, branded merchandise and even some gaming hardware. 

Players across all regions that score 10 points will receive the delicious Tart Tycoon Outfit that you can use in-game. Top scoring players across regions (20,000 globally) will receive a #FreeFortnite adjustable cap which will be shipped to players. 

Additionally, Epic is giving away 1,200 pieces of gaming hardware (phones, consoles and PCs). 

“Just because you can't play on iOS doesn't mean there aren't other awesome places to play Fortnite. Be one of the top 1,200 apple-eaters globally to win one of these prizes!” Epic announced. 

These prizes include Alienware gaming laptops, Razer gaming laptops, Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, OnePlus 8, PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One X and Nintendo Switches. 

On the site Epic has urged iOS players to check a list of alternative Fortnite-compatible devices they can use to play the game. and writes - 

“Frustrated because you're blocked on iOS? Make your voice heard by messaging @AppStore on social with #FreeFortnite.”

“We look forward to the day when everyone can squad up with all their friends again,” Epic added.