Epic launches a reward program to lure you away from the App Store

Now that Apple has to stop collecting fees on non-App Store purchases, Epic is pouncing with a new incentive. Starting today, you'll get 20 percent back in Epic Rewards when using the company's payment system for in-app purchases in Fortnite, Rocket League and Fall Guys.

The offer isn't limited to the App Store, so you'll get the same 20 percent reward on PC, Android and the web. The reward balance will arrive 14 days after your purchase. You can redeem Epic Rewards inside the company's games or on the Epic Games Store.

PC gamers who use Epic's Store also get 20 percent back on all purchases. However, unlike the in-app purchase program, that incentive only runs for a limited time. It expires on August 31.

The rewards follow a legal ruling in Epic's favor. Last week, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, a federal district judge in Northern California, said Apple violated a previous ruling from 2021. That four-year-old injunction required the iPhone maker to let App Store developers direct users to alternative payment systems, bypassing Apple's 30 percent fees.

However, after the 2021 ruling, Apple charged a 27 percent commission on external payments. (It was a lower 12 percent for iOS Small Business Program members.) The company also showed "scare screens," discouraging users from using third-party payment systems due to decreased privacy and security. The judge scolded Apple in her ruling, saying it knew what it was doing and "at every turn chose the most anticompetitive option."

After the ruling, Epic quickly announced that Fortnite would return to the App Store. Epic said on Friday that it submitted the game for review on Apple's storefront.

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