Telefonica Partners with Epic Games for Epic Games Store Integration
Telecom giant Telefonica has announced a partnership with Epic Games to bring the popular “Fortnite” video game maker’s marketplace app directly to millions of devices on the Spanish company’s network. The collaboration, revealed on Thursday, will see the Epic Games Store pre-installed on all new compatible Android devices operating on the Telefonica network in regions such as Spain, UK, Germany, Mexico, and Spanish-speaking Latin America.
This move will streamline the process for players to download game titles like Fortnite, “Fall Guys,” and “Rocket League Sideswipe” directly from Epic’s store, bypassing traditional app marketplaces such as Google’s Play store or Samsung’s Galaxy store. It will also mark the first time that Epic’s game store is pre-installed on Android devices, with the potential for users to download third-party games in the future.
The partnership is a significant step for Epic Games, which has been striving to broaden the distribution of its video games outside of official app stores run by smartphone companies. The company has previously criticized Alphabet’s Google and Samsung for allegedly hindering app store competition.
Epic Games faced off against Google and Apple over their policies of charging hefty commissions of up to 30 percent on app store transactions. Following a ban lasting nearly four years, Fortnite made its return to iPhones in the European Union and globally on Google’s Android devices in August.
Both Epic Games and Telefonica have indicated plans to expand their partnership in the coming year, promising to deliver more benefits to mobile players across the Telefonica network. Further details about the collaboration are yet to be disclosed.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
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