Fortnite Becomes 18+ Starting on January 30 for Google and Apple Store

Epic Games states that the game would no longer be available to anyone under the age of 18 on iOS and Google Play of Fortnite v13.40.

The game is still playable for those who already have it installed. But since the August 2020 removal from the iOS, macOS, and Google Play stores, it has been there since the v13.40 update and has experienced some bugs. As of January 30th, players will no longer be able to use the game’s virtual currency, known as V-Bucks.

“We want all versions of our games to use the current suite of Epic Online Services including parental controls, purchasing defaults, and parental verification features,” Epic Games tweeted. “We are not able to update the app on these platforms given Apple and Google’s restrictions on Fortnite.”

Epic Games vs. FTC aftermath

In December, Epic Games introduced restricted accounts that disable voice chat and in-game purchases for anyone under the age of 13.

In the same month, the FTC claimed that Fortnite violated the Children’s Online Privacy Act and misled players into making inadvertent transactions; Epic Games settled these claims by agreeing to pay a fine of $520 million.

The issues have been resolved in fresh updates by Epic Games. However, Google Play and iOS devices aren’t tolerating the issue. Therefore, Epic Games had no choice but to restrict access to anyone under the age of 18.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) claims that Fortnite gamers didn’t know that they were making inadvertent purchases, thus the game’s developers have decided to remove the option to use V-Bucks.

It’s important to remember that the upcoming Fortnite 18+ won’t affect most gamers because they can still get their hands on the popular game in other methods besides the App Store or Google Play. For instance, GeForce now allows you to play the game on iOS or macOS. The game is available for direct download from Epic Games’ website for Android devices.

It’s not a big deal if you’re already past 18, that’s why you should learn the best spots for Chapter 4 on Fortnite!