As Fortnite continues to attract massive success, it appears developer Epic Games is prepared to take increasingly bigger swings at rival companies. This past week saw Epic engage in a high-profile feud with Apple, with the two in a legal battle after Fortnite began offering its own direct payment system on iOS products – effectively cutting Apple out of the profits. Apple responded by banning the battle royale title from the App Store, blocking all iOS players from downloading or updating the game until further notice.

While a sizeable chunk of Apple users remain able to compete for the time being, the imminent arrival of Fortnite’s Season 4 update threatens to leave all these fans behind. As neither Apple nor Epic Games are any closer to compromise, a mass-lockout of iOS players seems all but assured. However, Epic is looking to further highlight its feud in the form of a tournament event called the #FreeFortnite Cup, with a blog post posing the proceedings as the final time all platforms will be able to play together before the inevitable update.

All of your friends. Fabulous prizes. And one bad apple. We’re droppin the #FreeFortnite Cup on August 23.

Check out our blog for full info: https://t.co/BFpiMQoWID

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 21, 2020

When Fortnite was first removed from the App Store, Epic Games memorably mocked Apple with a short film by the name of ‘Nineteen-Eighty Fortnite,’ depicting a parody version of the tech company’s famous 1984 advertisement. The footage was notable in its subtlety-absent imagery, featuring a Fortnite character leading the charge against an authoritarian with an apple for a head. This entertaining jab at Apple appears to only be the beginning, with this appley new persona now being placed front-and-center of this week’s new Fortnite event.

Beginning this Sunday, August 23, and lasting for four hours, the game is offering the chance for players to “celebrate the quest for one more Victory Royale” in the #FreeFortnite Cup. The tournament is set to happen across mobile, console, and PC, and touts the ability to win “more prizes than ever before.” There are three ways to earn points in the #FreeFortnite cup: Active Time, which awards “1 point for every 3 minutes on the BR island;” Eliminations, which gives players “1 point per Elim;” and Victory Royale, which grants 10 points to the last person standing in each match.

Players can get also their hands on digital and physical prizes during the proceedings, with rewards such as the “bad apple” Tart Tycoon Outfit being doled out to anyone who scores 10 points during the event. Especially skilled players get the opportunity to earn physical goodies, with the top 20,000 highest-scoring players receiving a #FreeFortnite hat sent to them in real life. The top 1,200 players on Apple products are in for a special treat, with iOS getting the chance to win a replacement console, PC, or tablet to continue playing Fortnite into Season 4. Each of the giveaways can be viewed below:

• Alienware Gaming Laptop
• Razer Gaming Laptop
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7
• OnePlus 8 – 90FPS on a phone
• PlayStation 4 Pro
• Xbox One X
• Nintendo Switch

Further driving home the anti-Apple sentiment, Epic Games has also released a high-resolution asset pack on its website, offering fans and players the means to craft #FreeFortnite gear of their own. The image depicts a Fortnite llama silhouette alongside the phrase “Free Fortnite,” with the graphic borrowing heavily from Apple’s widely-used rainbow logo from the 90s.

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Build your own #FreeFortnite gear with our asset pack!

More here: https://t.co/CKmBFQEXKG

— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 21, 2020

With the window closing for iOS players, this mini-tournament surely is a memorable way to both stick it to Apple and put Epic Games’ #FreeFortnite campaign back in the public eye. After Apple’s initial ban, the aforementioned campaign began as a protest of an App Store policy which takes a 30% cut of all of Fortnite’s profits. Google has since banned Fortnite from the Play Store for similar reasons as Apple, but the company assured the game can still be downloaded and updated from third-party Android stores (such as the Samsung Galaxy Store) and the official Epic website.

Until the Season 4 update on August 27th, Fortnite is available for Android, iOS, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

What do you think? Are you bummed to see iOS players left out of the battle royale fun, or are you just glad to see Apple getting dunked on again? Do you think Epic Games could actually win the day? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:

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