Epic Games has unveiled a new strategy for mobile gaming, marking a significant shift in “Epic’s efforts” to bring their games to mobile devices.
The company plans to distribute popular titles like Fortnite on third-party app stores that do not impose high fees on developers.
Fortnite’s Return on iOS and Store Expansion
Fortnite is set to return to iOS in the European Union. Additionally, the Epic Games Store will launch on Android worldwide and on iOS in the European Union, following Apple’s recent approval of the ‘Epic Games’ store app.
The store will offer favorable terms for developers: a 12% fee for payments processed by the store and 0% for third-party payments.
Distribution Partnerships
Epic Games will bring their own titles, including Fortnite, to other mobile stores that offer fair deals to developers. They plan to end partnerships with stores that do not compete fairly or serve developers well, even if those stores offer special deals for Epic’s games.
Epic Games has long supported fair competition for app stores on iOS and Android. This effort is gaining momentum globally, with Europe’s DMA, similar laws in the UK and Japan, and regulatory investigations worldwide. The company also mentioned their victory in the Epic v Google litigation in the US as part of this progress.
- Support for Other Stores: As operators of the Epic Games Store, Epic aims to offer developers great deals. As game developers, they want to support other stores that provide similar benefits to developers.
- Epic Games on AltStore: Epic Games announced that their mobile games will be available on AltStore for iOS in the EU. They plan to support at least two other third-party stores soon.
Leaving the Samsung Galaxy Store
Epic stated that Fortnite and their other games will be removed from the Samsung Galaxy Store. This decision protests Samsung’s anti-competitive Auto Blocker in One UI 6.1.1, which blocks side-loading by default, preventing app installations from unauthorized sources.
Epic Games Store Launch
The Epic Games Store is expected to launch on Android soon, though no specific date has been provided.
Emphasizing their commitment to fair competition and developer rights, Epic Games stated:
We want to do everything we can to support other stores that strive to offer all developers great deals.