The Epic Games Store launches on mobile today.
Fortnite announced that it will bring its gaming marketplace to Android globally and iOS in the European Union. This year’s Digital Markets Act requires Apple to allow third-party stores in its mobile ecosystem.
Epic’s mobile catalog will launch with three titles, starting with Fortnite, which marks the return to iOS, as well as Rocket League Sideswipe (a spin-off of the popular racing game that launched in 2021) and the brand new Fall Guys Mobile. The latter will feature cross-play and cross-progression with the popular online game already available on PC and consoles.
These three titles will also appear on the AltStore, an independent mobile store that is also available on iOS. At a later date, they will also be available on Aptoide for iOS and the One Store for Android. Epic is even in talks with Microsoft about its upcoming Xbox mobile store, but terms have not been finalized yet.
In a media briefing earlier this week, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney thanked the European Commission not only for passing the DMA law that enabled the launch of the Epic Games Store on iOS, but also for “really putting pressure on Apple and Google to make sure they can’t just hamper competition.”
“(Apple and Google) are making great efforts to slow us down and have tried to stop us on several occasions. The EU has always intervened and allowed competitors to enter the market, which is what we are doing now,” he said.
“This is just the beginning of the effort to bring our games back to all of these platforms around the world. The fight isn’t over until Fortnite is back on iOS everywhere and free of Apple’s junk fees and (tech fees). But this is a great milestone.”
Steve Allison, general manager of the Epic Games Store, added: “The industry needs this. We’re super excited about our progress on this – we still have a long way to go, but we’re on the way.”
Epic Games is targeting 100 million new net installs across iOS and Android by the end of 2024. Allison believes this is achievable on a level playing field, but points out that both Apple and Google have introduced “pretty significant” changes for users.
Installing the Epic Games Store isn’t as simple as finding it on the App Store or Google Play and simply clicking “Install.” Instead, it must be downloaded directly from Epic’s website, and the process on each platform requires users to go through several steps — 15 on iOS, 12 on Android, according to Epic’s estimates — to approve the installation.
The steps include multiple confirmations that users want to download this software and warnings that it comes from an “unknown source” (called “scare screens” by Epic), as well as changing various settings on your smart device to avoid dead ends.
“It’s designed to make players drop out before they reach the end. That’s a concern for us,” Allison said. “It undermines competition across the board, especially when we’re competing with Apple and Google, who only impose one step on their players to install something.”
“We’re starting with our first-party games for a reason. That’s a lot of effort for users. We have some of the biggest games in the world, so that’s a big motivation for players to make those moves, and our goal is to get as many installs as possible – hopefully tens of millions, if not 100 million – before we get to the end of the year when we start onboarding third-party games.”
“This is just the beginning of the effort to bring our games back to all of these platforms around the world. The fight is not over until Fortnite is back on iOS everywhere and free of Apple’s junk fees and (tech fees).”
Tim Sweeney, Epic Games
Epic has provided players with step-by-step instructions on how to install the store on iOS and Android, and will also reward players with in-game rewards and currency for the three titles to help them reach the number of installs the company hopes to achieve. However, Sweeney said there isn’t much more his team can do to “overcome the fear that Google’s warnings are causing.”
“They are portraying Epic’s software as if it came from an ‘unknown source’ – the user is downloading one of the most famous and popular games in the world. Google knows who we are, we beat them in a major antitrust case in federal court last year, but Google is still lying to users and claiming our software comes from an ‘unknown source.'”
Another cause for concern, especially on iOS, are the fees Apple has introduced for developers who use alternative stores. This includes the Core Technology Fee, which charges game makers €0.50 for each installation that is not done through its own App Store.
Apple is also introducing additional fees as part of the changes to comply with the DMA after the EU preliminary found in an investigation that the iOS company had violated the new rules.
“This is keeping third-party developers from joining other stores and keeping them in their walled garden,” Allison said of the fees. “The wall got higher and they put barbed wire around it with the Core Tech Fee and some new things last week that we’re still trying to understand. They’re introducing new fees and changing the fundamental business model, even in the App Store, (in some ways) designed to keep the biggest games from leaving their usual environment and engaging in collaboration with partners like us.”
While the Epic Games Store is currently only available on iOS in the EU, Allison hopes the Apple ecosystem will also be available in Japan and the UK next year, with more regions to follow.
“In the next few years, we hope to be available on iOS worldwide,” he said. “And we continue to work with alternative stores around the world that offer great conditions for developers.”
When the mobile Epic Games Store opens to third-party developers, Epic will continue to offer the 88:12 revenue share available on the PC store, as well as programs like Epic First Run, which allows developers to sign six-month exclusive contracts and receive 100% of revenue during that period.
GamesIndustry.biz asked how Epic plans to fare on mobile, given the dominance of established stores. Android is already a fragmented market with several alternative stores, including some built in by phone makers like Samsung, but Google Play remains the go-to place for users looking for new apps.
“I’m confident that a store that comes in with really competitive terms and does its best to represent the interests of developers and consumers has a real chance of competing,” Sweeney said. “(And) the key to running an exclusive store is to offer some exclusive products that are unique and will attract customers to your store.”
Allison agreed: “If you’re not device-specific, you have to lean on exclusive content. You can have all the content that’s on all the other stores, but we’re lucky to have a presence on some of the biggest games in the world. That’s exactly how Steam built its business on PC. We’re fighting anti-competitive behavior, but we have an opportunity to grow and build something great here.”
“We’re fortunate to be involved in some of the biggest games in the world – just like Steam built its business on PC. We have the opportunity to expand and build something great here.”
Steve Allison, Epic Games
The opening of the Epic Games Store is a major milestone in Fortnite’s ongoing legal battles with Apple and Google over the 30 percent fee and other practices that Epic sees as anti-competitive – and Sweeney reiterated that the company will continue to fight both firms for having too much power over their mobile platforms.
As an example, he said that after Epic Games Sweden was granted an iOS developer account to create the mobile store, Apple revoked it “due to our previous dispute.” He added that Apple also tried to block the Epic Games Store because, for example, it originally used a blue button labeled “Get” to trigger installs. Apple argued that this was too similar to its own store’s “Get” button, so Epic changed it to “Install” – but Apple reportedly continued to block it.
“If you give Apple the arbitrary power to block competitors from accessing the platform, they can block whoever they want,” Sweeney said. “That power needs to be taken away from Apple. There can be no involvement from Apple or friction when it comes to becoming an authorized developer for these platforms.”
“The platform needs to be opened up like Windows, allowing developers to build software for it without Microsoft’s permission. Or the power needs to be transferred to the actual regulators, not Apple.”
When asked if he regretted the four-year legal battle, Sweeney replied: “I have no regrets. Apple needed to be challenged.”
He concluded: “We probably lost a billion dollars because Fortnite isn’t available worldwide on iOS, but what is the price of that freedom?”
