CARY — Epic Games has confirmed that it will not be releasing its upcoming Fortnite season, Chapter 2: Season 4, for iOS or macOS, because of its on-going legal battle with Apple.

The tech giant banned the wildly popular game from its app store earlier this month after the Cary-based developer released a new payment system that skirts giving Apple a 30 percent cut of the sales.

Epic Games is now suing Apple over the ban.

“Apple is blocking Fornite updates and new installs on its app store, and has said it will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices,” Epic said in a new update on its FAQ dedicated to its standoff with Apple.

“As a result, Fortnite’s newly released Chapter 2 – Season 4 update (v14.00), will not release on iOS and macOS on August 27.”

If players you want to play Fortnite on Android, they can access the latest version of Fortnite from the Epic Games App for Android on Fortnite.com/Android or the Samsung Galaxy Store.

In a split decision for Epic Games on Monday night, a federal judge allowed Apple to continue its ban on  “Fortnite.” However, it couldn’t remove Epic’s game engine Unreal from its ecosystem.

“The record shows potential significant damage to both the Unreal Engine platform itself, and to the gaming industry generally, including on both third-party developers and gamers,” said U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

She added: “Epic Games and Apple are at liberty to litigate against each other, but their dispute should not create havoc to bystanders.”

[Here’s a link to the full filing.]

In a statement to AppleInsider and other venues on Tuesday, Apple applauded the decision and said it was ready to bring “Fortnite” back to the App Store if it removed the direct payment feature — which is a violation of its developer guidelines.

“We thank the court for recognizing that Epic’s problem is entirely self-inflicted and is in their power to resolve. Our very first priority is making sure App Store users have a great experience in a safe and trusted environment, including iPhone users who play ‘Fortnite’ and who are looking forward to the game’s next season,” Apple said.

Microsoft, meanwhile, has joined Epic Games as an ally in the legal dispute.

Xbox head Phil Spencer said in a tweet Sunday: “Ensuring that Epic has access to the latest Apple technology is the right thing for [game] developers and gamers.”

Another hearing is set for Sept. 28.

Epic also is suing Google for its ban of Fortnite over the same payments issue.