Fortnite could launch on Apple TV at one point in the future, according to a new discovery by the @StormLeaks Twitter account late yesterday. As reported by esports and gaming website Dexerto, @StormLeaks found a single line within Fortnite's code that references "tvOS," suggesting that Epic Games may be planning to launch the popular game on Apple's fourth- and fifth-generation set-top boxes down the line.
Still, this is just a single mention of tvOS in Fortnite's code and shouldn't be taken as a guarantee that the game will be available to play on Apple TV soon. If it does, the game would likely require a compatible wireless gaming controller, two of which Apple sells for $49.95 on its website.
As it stands, Fortnite is currently available on iOS, macOS, Android, PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. Fortnite initially launched as a beta on iOS in March and then expanded wide in April. The smartphone apps are focused entirely on Fortnite's PvP Battle Royale mode, but the console and desktop versions of the game also include a PvE mode called Save the World.
Fortnite Battle Royale on iOS is free-to-play (like it is on all platforms), but due to in-game content purchases the app in June reached $100 million in revenue 90 days after launch. Fortnite initially launched wide in summer 2017 on consoles, macOS, and PC, focusing only on the Save the World mode, with Battle Royale releasing a few months later in September 2017.
Update: According to Epic Games, there are no plans to bring Fortnite to the Apple TV. From Epic's Senior PR Manager: "Epic isn’t planning to bring Fortnite to Apple TV. References to tvOS in the Fortnite files are the result of general Unreal Engine support for the Apple TV platform."
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(View all)What I really want to see Apple do is take the publisher role, fund some AAA exclusives for it through third parties.
I would finally have an argument to buy a pad for Apple TV.
Now it's hard to justify the expense.
Apple threw away the chance long ago to make the Apple TV a really nice gaming console. Needs first-party controllers, not this MFi-or-whatever nonsense.
The SteelSeries Nimbus controllers -- that Apple has always pushed as if they were first-party controllers -- are well-made, high-qualify controllers. SteelSeries makes great gaming accessories (the Apple TV Nimbus controllers specifically, and all of their products in general). The controllers themselves are not the problem. The problem is Apple's overall gaming strategy (or lack thereof).From the beginning their gaming strategy with the Apple TV was bad. Requiring the use of the Siri Remote for all games was terrible (although they finally realized how awful the Siri Remote was for gaming and eventually removed that requirement). No API for clickable analog sticks was a slight oversight. Limiting app downloads to 200 MB with the rest of the application needing to be streamed on demand each time was a huge oversight (although they also finally increased that limit to 4 GB last year, I believe).
Apple has slowly been fixing their obvious problems. With this 5th gen Apple TV, though, gaming on the Apple TV probably won't progress much further than it is now. Apple fixed the obvious mistakes, but they aren't doing much else with the platform at the moment. But when Apple releases the Apple TV 6th gen in however many years, they could learn from their past mistakes and make Apple TV a viable gaming platform. .... maybe.
I’m in disbelief that ATV gaming hasn’t taken off full steam already. I’d bet lots of people wouldn’t get a dedicated console if casual games were ‘good enough’.
Why are you in disbelief? There's several disadvantages to the Apple TV ecosystem from a developer POV right now. One, there is no Apple first-party game controller and no controller bundle Apple even sells. Why would a big studio put money into a platform where the majority of its owners don't have the controller with which to play their games? Second, the lack of local storage is a huge issue for AAA games. Downloading levels piece by piece is just not the way traditional console games are structured right now and the size of modern AAA games would make that an unpleasant (and even costly) experience for everyone but the most high-bandwidth and highest data plan broadband connections.For that matter the potential is a system seller. I do t have or really need an ATV. But I’d buy one for the right access to games. And at a fraction of the cost of a big console.
All the pieces are in place. There just needs to be more initiative. This could be a huge part of the Apple ecosystem driving hardware sales and further media sales.
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