Epic Games Store goes mobile, brings Fortnite and other games to iPhones (in the EU) and Android (around the world) – Liliputing

Epic Games Launches Mobile Version of Epic Games Store

Six years ago Epic Games launched mobile versions of popular game Fortnite for Android and iOS. And two years later the company intentionally violated the rules for Apple and Google’s mobile app stores by offering an alternate payment method. Both Apple and Google kicked Fortnite out of their respective app stores, and a long-running legal battle between the companies ensued.

Now that Apple has made some major changes to the version of iOS installed on phones in the European union in response to the Digital Markets Act, and Google is facing increased scrutiny from regulators, Epic has launched a mobile version of the Epic Games Store for Android and iOS. It includes Epic titles like Fortnite, Fall Guys, and Rocket League Sideswipe, and Epic is hoping to bring third-party titles to the store soon.

If you read the blog post announcing the new Epic Games Store mobile apps, it’s clear Epic’s still not particularly happy about the hoops that users need to jump through to install a third-party app store on mobile devices.

First of all, you can only install the Epic Games Store or other third-party app and games stores on iPhones if you’re in the European Union. Everyone else is out of luck.

And installing stores isn’t quite as simple as downloading an app from the App Store or Google Play Store. Epic says the process “is lengthy due to Apple and Google introducing intentionally poor-quality experiences laden by multiple steps, confusing device settings, and scare screens,” and Epic is “continuing to fight in courts and work with regulators around the globe to eliminate the anticompetitive terms that Apple and Google impose on developers and consumers.”

For what it’s worth, Apple and Google have generally countered that while the experience is certainly “intentional,” the intent is to ensure users know that there may sometimes be security or privacy risks associated with installing apps from outside Google and Apple’s official stores.

Incidentally, Google has always allowed third-party app stores on Android, as well as installation of apps from sources other than the Play Store. So even after Google removed Fortnite from the Play Store, users could download and install it using an Epic Games app available from the Epic website.

But now Epic is expanding its mobile offerings by launching full-fledged game stores for the two most popular smartphone operating systems, with plans to attract developers of third-party titles, much as Epic has already done with its Epic Games Store for Windows. Apple iPhone users just won’t be able to use it outside of Europe.

The Epic Games Store for Android is available worldwide from the Epic Games website, and the Epic Games Store for iOS is available in the EU.

Epic is also making its own mobile games (including Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and Fall Guys) available to other third-party mobile app stores. The games are already available in the AltStore PAL for European iOS devices today, and Epic plans to bring its games to Aptioide for iOS in the EU and ONE Store for Android soon.

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Epic Games Store goes mobile, brings Fortnite and other games to iPhones (in the EU) and Android (around the world) - Liliputing