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Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, looks at the camera.
Product Reviews

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney takes his victory lap as Fortnite returns to the app store after nearly 5 years: ‘Thanks to all of the folks who initially sided with Apple then later came around to the winning side’

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After a protracted legal battle, which is far from over, Apple has restored Fortnite to the US app store. Fortnite was removed in August 2020 after launching its own in-app monetisation system to bypass Apple’s in-app payment system and the 30% commission it charges.

This violated Apple’s terms, and led to a legal challenge from Epic Games, which accused Apple of operating the app store as a monopoly. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney was in an unsurprisingly ebullient mood at the news and thanked those who’d taken Epic’s side in the dispute which, as ever, he characterises as a fight for developer rights.

“Thanks to everyone who supported the effort to open up mobile competition and #FreeFortnite from the very beginning,” said Sweeney. “And thanks to all of the folks who initially sided with Apple then later came around to the winning side, supporting app developer rights and consumer rights.”


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Apple has made no comment.

“This is a clear win for Epic Games,” games business professor Joost van Dreunen told the BBC. “Epic has effectively forced open a door that Apple and others worked very hard to keep shut.

“The industry has long tiptoed around platform gatekeeping, but this moment signals a shift in the balance. Creators and publishers will now have more leverage to challenge entrenched distribution models.”

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Fortnite has been available on iOS in the EU since January. Apple is complying with the court order after it got absolutely slammed by judge Yvonne Rogers Gonzalez for an “obvious cover-up” in a ruling that left no room for doubt:

“This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order. Time is of the essence. The Court will not tolerate further delays. As previously ordered, Apple will not impede competition.”

That doesn’t mean this is the end: Apple is fiercely protective of its walled garden approach to the app store, which it argues is in consumers’ best interests, and of course has the money to fight this until the bitter end. And Epic Games may well be the David to Apple’s Goliath, but it happens to be an extremely deep-pocketed David with a pugnacious CEO that’s treating this fight like a holy calling.

“Apple lost the 2021 injunction appeal in 2024, and it’s final and unappealable,” says Sweeney. “Now there’s a new contempt of court decision, and Apple is seeking to stay and appeal it, but whatever happens, they’re still obliged to comply with the injunction and the law.”

Sweeney also put things in more Fortnite-y terms: “we back fam.”



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It's taken years, but Dune Awakening is finally getting an end-game info dump next week, so we'll finally know how the rest of the game plays
Game Reviews

It’s taken years, but Dune Awakening is finally getting an end-game info dump next week, so we’ll finally know how the rest of the game plays

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Finally, Dune Awakening fans can expect a dedicated live stream to show off the real meat of any MMO: the endgame. This event will cover what players will be up to once they’ve progressed through the story and prepped themselves for the Deep Desert, something that has remained a bit mysterious upo until now.

The stream, which will go live on official Funcom platforms such as the studio’s Twitch page, is set to go live on May 28, at 12PM ET / 6PM CEST / 5PM GMT / 9AM PT. It’s titled the “Beyond the Beta: A Glimpse of Mid-to-Endgame livestream”, so expect to see a bit more than the usual early game zones we’ve seen plenty of courtesy of previews and the recent weekend beta.

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Here’s what we know about the mid-to-end game so far. We know that players will have to pick between the Atredies and Harkkonen, and that player-run guilds can battle for faction supremacy via the Lansrad system. We know winning the Landsrad provides powerful buffs to the winning faction, and that the major push in the endgame is to win that every cycle. In terms of actual gameplay, players will be heading out into the Deep Desert, where they can harvest spice in vast open PvP regions of the world.

But here’s what we don’t know. We don’t really know what players will be using that spice for. One assumes to make loads of money, but what do you spend it on? Shiny gear, better vehicles for future spice runs, a cooler house one assumes, but what else? Will there be some typical live service weekly mission model, encouraging folks to engage with different parts of the game? What about unlockable customisation? How does one differentiate a fresh character who’s just made it to the end game, and a powerful spice baron with loads of dosh?

All this, hopefully, will be revealed in this upcoming live stream. It’s one worth tuning in to if you’re eager to check out Dune Awakening when it launches next month!

What do you think will be shown off in the stream? Let us know below, as well as your biggest unanswered questions!



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Shaurya Malwa
Crypto Trends

Bitcoin Sets New High Above $111K, 15 Years After Developer Paid 10,000 BTC for Two Pizzas

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Shaurya is the Co-Leader of the CoinDesk tokens and data team in Asia with a focus on crypto derivatives, DeFi, market microstructure, and protocol analysis.

Shaurya holds over $1,000 in BTC, ETH, SOL, AVAX, SUSHI, CRV, NEAR, YFI, YFII, SHIB, DOGE, USDT, USDC, BNB, MANA, MLN, LINK, XMR, ALGO, VET, CAKE, AAVE, COMP, ROOK, TRX, SNX, RUNE, FTM, ZIL, KSM, ENJ, CKB, JOE, GHST, PERP, BTRFLY, OHM, BANANA, ROME, BURGER, SPIRIT, and ORCA.

He provides over $1,000 to liquidity pools on Compound, Curve, SushiSwap, PancakeSwap, BurgerSwap, Orca, AnySwap, SpiritSwap, Rook Protocol, Yearn Finance, Synthetix, Harvest, Redacted Cartel, OlympusDAO, Rome, Trader Joe, and SUN.



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Looks like Ubisoft is giving Rayman an "AAA" revival after last year's "exploration phase"
Game Updates

Looks like Ubisoft is giving Rayman an “AAA” revival after last year’s “exploration phase”

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Remember Ubisoft’s announcement last October it was currently in the “exploration phase” of a new Rayman project? Well, it seems full development has now been given the go ahead, with a recent job listing indicating the publisher is currently staffing up on a “AAA” Rayman game.


To rewind a bit, all this came about following reports last year that Ubisoft had assembled a small group of developers – including around a dozen members of its now-disbanded Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown team – to work on a remake of Rayman. Somewhat unusually, Ubisoft didn’t immediately reach for the ‘does not comment on rumours or speculation’ button, instead confirming that, yes actually, it was sort of true. “We are pleased to confirm Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan have recently started an exploration phase on the Rayman brand,” it said at the time. “The project is still in its early stages, and we will share more details later.”


There was a sense, then, that nothing might come of the project if that “exploration phase” didn’t bring encouraging results. But it now appears those initial experiments showed sufficient promise, because Ubisoft Milan is currently seeking a 3D gameplay animator to work on a “prestigious AAA title for the Rayman brand.” There’s also a second, slightly less specific job listing searching for a senior game designer to “work on the Rayman brand”, but it seems likely both positions are related to the same project.

More of this sort of thing please Ubisoft.Watch on YouTube


So that’s some encouraging news for Rayman fans, particularly given Ubisoft Montpellier and Milan’s historically stellar output. Between them, the studios have released the acclaimed likes of Mario + Rabbids, the beautiful Valiant Hearts series, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, plus Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends – two absolutely gold-standard 2D platformers.


The only troubling element of Rayman’s revival is last year’s controversial admission by Ubisoft that original Rayman creator Michel Ancel had been drafted in as a consultant. Ancel departed the publisher in 2020, allegedly following an investigation into employee complaints accusing him of toxic leadership, and his involvement with the new Rayman project was reported to have “raised some concerns among team members”. It is, however, unclear if Ancel is still serving as a consultant now Ubisoft’s initial “exploration phase” appears to be complete.


Signs that Rayman may be making a “AAA” return come at a challenging time for Ubisoft. The publisher has faced a tumultuous few years amid tumbling share prices and a number of high-profile flops, resulting in a string of layoffs and studio closures. As part of its attempts to right the ship, Ubisoft announced it was launching a new subsidiary dedicated to its big three IPs – Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry – earlier this year. With those game under a new banner, Ubisoft itself will concentrate on a number of key areas, including “nurturing the development of iconic franchises” – which is presumably where Rayman comes in.



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Fortnite Is Back On The iOS App Store In The US After Nearly 5 Years
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Fortnite Is Back On The iOS App Store In The US After Nearly 5 Years

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Fortnite, Epic Games’ mega-popular battle royale, is back on the iOS App Store in the U.S. nearly five years after being removed. Apple kicked Fortnite off the iOS App Store in 2020 after Epic added its own payment system, violating Apple’s at-the-time rules and preventing Apple from receiving kickback fees.

However, after the court in Epic’s case against the iPhone maker ruled in favor of Epic last month, preventing Apple from taking kickback fees from purchases made outside of apps in the U.S., the game has finally returned to the iOS App Store. It’s also available in the Epic Games Store and AltStore in the EU now.

You can see the game in the iOS App Store here. Players jumping in on mobile will find the battle royale in the middle of a shortened Star Wars season featuring characters like Jar-Jar Binks, Darth Jar-Jar, General Grievous, and more. Check out a trailer of the Star Wars action below:

 

Are you going to play Fortnite on your iPhone now that you can again? Let us know in the comments below!



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Fortnite Is Back On The US App Store After Nearly Five Years Away
Game Reviews

Fortnite Is Back On The US App Store After Nearly Five Years Away

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Epic’s super-popular free-to-play battle royale game, Fortnite, is finally available to download and play on the iOS App Store in the United States after being removed from it in 2020. This return to the store follows recent pressure from a federal judge urging Apple to allow Fortnite back on its digital marketplace.

Kotaku Goes Hands-On At The Apple Developer Showcase

Earlier this month, federal judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers—who has been involved with this court battle since the start—ruled that Apple can no longer take a cut from purchases made outside of apps and blocked the tech giant from restricting how developers can point people to third-party payment options. The judge also ruled that Apple must immediately stop blocking or hindering devs from including third-party payment options. This led to Epic announcing that, now that it could freely include its own payment system, it would return Fortnite to the App Store in the United States.

But Apple, which is appealing the ruling, wouldn’t provide approval for Fortnite to return as part of its standard app approval process. This move prompted Epic to request that the court step in. On Monday, Judge Rogers issued an order warning Apple that if it didn’t comply with the court’s demands, it could wind up back in court needing to explain itself.

“Apple is fully capable of resolving this issue without further briefing or a hearing,” said the judge.

“However, if the parties do not file a joint notice that this issue is resolved, and this Court’s intervention is required, the Apple official who is personally responsible for ensuring compliance shall personally appear at the hearing hereby set for Tuesday, May 27, 2025.”

Seems like, for now at least, Apple has decided to avoid another legal fight in court, and Fortnite is now back on the App Store after 1,741 days.

“We back fam,” posted Epic CEO Tim Sweeney shortly after the game went live on the App Store.

Of course, Apple is appealing the judge’s orders as it fights to control its App Store and take a cut of every transaction made in official apps on iOS devices. Apple has the resources to continue fighting in court, and I expect that this isn’t the end of this legal war between Epic and Apple that started nearly five years ago when Epic decided to sidestep Apple’s policy of taking a cut of every in-app transaction. That move led to Fortnite being removed from the App Store and the subsequent years of court battles. For now though, players can log into Fortnite on their iPhones and iPads once more.



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LEGO seemingly shuts down Bionicle fan game after 8 years of development, because as we all know Bionicle is a scorching hot IP that the company is doing a lot with right now
Game Updates

LEGO seemingly shuts down Bionicle fan game after 8 years of development, because as we all know Bionicle is a scorching hot IP that the company is doing a lot with right now

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Bionicle: Masks of Power – a fan game that has been in development for eight years – has been shut down following a request from The LEGO Group, its developers claim.

In a statement released to the public via a Google Doc, the team broke down the situation for fans who’ve been waiting to actually play the game after all this time. The devs, who were preparing to drop a demo this August, claim that LEGO reached out to request they shut down development on the project and remove the game from the public eye.

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In the statement, the team expressed its historical intention to keep in line with the official LEGO Fair Play Guidelines, as to not draw the eye of an legal action from LEGO looking to protect its copyright. Despite these intentions, the hammer has seemingly come down. While it says no official reason for the takedown was given, the team suspects that it was because the average person may mistake the game for an official game, rather than a fan project. It seems this fan game was a victim of its own good SEO.

In reaction to the news, the development team has released a walkthrough of the demo, and has decided to form a new indie studio: Unmasked Games. That name is great by the way, hinting towards its Bionicle roots but taking the mask off for future endeavors. They conclude the statement with the following: “This has been heartbreaking news for our entire team, but we’re also incredibly excited about what the future has in store, and for what we’ll get the chance to create next. We hope that you’re all just as excited as we are. For the final time… May the Great Spirit guide you.”

Bionicle has been a dead IP product line since 2010 by the way. That’s the last time any actual toys were produced by The LEGO group. There was a series of comics written by Greg Farshtey, though that has also been dead for over a decade. It’s clear that the Bionicle IP is scorching hot, something LEGO is clearly doing a lot with. Sarcasm aside, such are the ways of legal departments. IP must be protected, even for IP that has had no development or frankly relevancy for over a decade. That is, aside from a relatively small community of fans who were, until very recently, excited for a new fan game. Damn shame!

It’s a bummer. It’s a common belief that the best way to approach making fan games is to “shut the f**k up”, but obviously not all fan project teams have the luxury of silence and a sudden shadow drop before any cease and desist can come through and ruin all the fun. Still, if you were excited for Mask of Power, why not give the folks at Unmasked Games some love, and support them going forward.

We’ve reached out to The LEGO Group for comment, and will update this article if and when we get a response.

When’s the last time you even thought about Bionicle, this fan game aside? Let us know below.



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Hideo Kojima Says Physint, His Next Action Espionage Game, Is 5-6 Years Away
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Hideo Kojima Says Physint, His Next Action Espionage Game, Is 5-6 Years Away

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Hideo Kojima and PlayStation announced last year they were teaming up to create a new action espionage game called Physint, a welcome genre return for fans of Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid series. In a new interview with French magazine Le Film Français, Kojima said Physint is five to six years away from release.

This timeline isn’t too surprising – Kojima Productions’ next release is Death Stranding 2: On The Beach on June 26, and the studio is already developing its next game after that, OD, for Xbox. Assuming Kojima Productions has no other surprises, Kojima claimed last year that Physint’s development would begin in earnest after the launch of Death Stranding 2 (likely up to bat after OD), so the five-to-six-year timeline makes sense.

 

“Besides Death Stranding 2, there is Physint in development. That will take me another five or six years. Maybe after that, I could finally decide to tackle a film,” Kojima told Le Film Français when asked about directing a movie, as reported by Video Games Chronicle.

Kojima also told the magazine he received many offers to direct a movie when he left Konami in 2015. Considering how much Kojima loves films and the people behind them, seeing him direct one wouldn’t be surprising. Consider those extra-long Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding cutscenes practice for his directorial debut.

While waiting for Physint, check out Game Informer’s Death Stranding 2 hands-on preview, and then read about how Death Stranding 2’s interactive encyclopedia helps players make sense of the lore. After that, check out this breakdown of the members of Death Stranding 2’s Drawbridge organization. 



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Lego Bionicle Fan Game Shutdown After 8 Years Of Development
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Lego Bionicle Fan Game Shutdown After 8 Years Of Development

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An open-world, third-person Bionicle fan game that had a lot of hype in the community and which has been in development for nearly a decade has allegedly been canceled by the Lego Group just a few months before the project’s first big demo was set to release.

This Narrative Adventure About Doomed Teenage Dinosaurs Feels Too Real

Bionicle was a popular line of buildable action figures created by the Lego group in 2001. The line was the first original transmedia franchise created by Lego, featuring a deep amount of lore and stories told in comics, books, and animated movies. It was planned to run for 20 years but, due to low sales, was ended in 2010. It was revived in 2015, but old fans didn’t embrace the reboot and the revival ended in 2016. Despite a decade having passed since Lego made new Bionicle sets, fans still love the weird franchise featuring bio-organic super robots and sci-fi magic. And for the past eight years, a growing group of fans known as Team Kanohi have been developing their dream Bionicle game, Masks of Power, but have been forced to stop after Lego demanded it.

On May 17, Team Kanohi announced that the Lego Group requested that the team shut down the project completely and remove Masks of Power from the internet.

“We’ve been transparent about the hardships our team has faced over the past year as we’ve worked to release the first look at Bionicle: Masks of Power: the ‘FREE THE BAND’ demo,” said Team Kanohi. “After many years of hard work, our team was in the final stages of bugfixing and polishing for the demo’s release. We had planned to shadowdrop the demo on August 10th, 2025.”

“Unfortunately, it seems that will no longer happen. The LEGO Group has asked our team to shut down our project in its entirety, and remove Bionicle: Masks of Power from the public eye.”

Despite not being able to release the demo or finish the game, Team Kanohi has put out a two-hour video showing off the unfinished demo for the Bionicle game. The group says it’s still “incredibly proud” of what it has made and I have to agree. This looks awesome, and I’m not even a Bionicle fan.

So why did the Lego Group shut down this project? According to the dev team, they have been in contact with the company for years and have followed all of the rules surrounding fan-created content. Masks of Power was going to be released for free, and included disclaimers that made it clear this was a fan project. Lego has also officially called out and supported other Bionicle fan games in the past. However, it seems like Masks of Power was starting to look too official for Lego lawyers.

“Unfortunately, it seems like the LEGO Group’s stance on fan-created media has changed. While we can only speculate as to the exact reason why they have asked us to remove the game at this time, what we suspect is that our project was too easy to mistake for an official product,” said the devs. “At the time of writing, searching ‘Bionicle game’ on Google lists the Steam page for Bionicle: Masks of Power within the first couple of links.”

“An average person seeing our game for the first time could easily think that it was an official game at first glance. And no amount of disclaimers we could put up would be able to change that.”

It’s not all sad news, though, as the team behind the now-cancelled fan game has announced plans to develop a new game—Project Rustbound—built off the work they put into Masks of Power. Hopefully this project gets to see the light of day.

.



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Why we're still playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10 years later
Product Reviews

Why we’re still playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10 years later

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Ten years! How many times in the last decade have we fetched that frying pan, whistled for Roach to give us a lift, sliced drowners in half, and used our Witcher senses to track a blood trail to a monster’s lair, only to find a tragic story at the end of what seemed like a simple hunt?

The Witcher 3 was a shoo-in for the canon of all-time PC RPGs as soon as it released in May 2015. A decade flew by in an instant, and not just because the passage of time is a haunting reminder of mortality for those of us without witcher mutagens keeping us spry for centuries.

It’s hard to believe The Witcher 3 is 10 years old becuase it feels like few games have bested it since. The writing, voice acting, and world still rival games being released in 2025.


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As part of our Why We Play video series, we’re revisiting The Witcher 3’s greatest strengths and some of our favorite moments, from the Bloody Baron’s questline to the beautiful sunsets and wild winds of Velen.

You can also watch The Witcher 3 10 Years On: What Made It A Masterpiece? on YouTube. Keep an eye on PC Gamer all week for more celebration of The Witcher 3’s anniversary.



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