The Epic Games Store launches today on mobile devices.
Fortnite announced it will bring its gaming marketplace to Android worldwide and iOS in the European Union thanks to this year's Digital Markets Act that requires Apple to enable third-party stores in its mobile ecosystem.
Epic's mobile catalog will kick off with three titles, starting with Fortnite, which marks its return to iOS, as well as Rocket League Sideswipe (a spin-off of the popular racing sports game that launched in 2021) and the 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 be released on AltStore, a standalone mobile store also available on iOS. They will be coming to Aptoide on iOS and One Store on Android later. Epic is even in talks with Microsoft about its upcoming mobile store, though terms have not yet been set.
At a press conference earlier this week, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney thanked the European Commission not only for passing the DMA law that allowed the Epic Games Store to launch on iOS, but also for “really putting pressure on Apple and Google to make sure that they can’t just obstruct competition.”
“(Apple and Google) are making great efforts to stop us and they tried to stop us several times, and the EC always stepped up and made sure that competitors could enter the market, which we are doing now,” he said.
“This is just the beginning of the effort to get our games back on all of these platforms around the world. The fight won't be over until Fortnite is available again on iOS everywhere and free of Apple's junk fees and (tech fees). But this is an incredible milestone.”
Epic Games Store general manager Steve Allison added: “The industry needs this. We're really excited about our progress on this front – we've got a long way to go, but we're on the right track.”
Epic Games is aiming to hit 100 million net new installs across iOS and Android by the end of 2024, something Allison believes is achievable all things being equal, but notes that both Apple and Google have introduced “pretty significant” changes for users.
Installing the Epic Games Store isn't as simple as searching for it in the App Store or Google Play and 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, by Epic's count) to approve its installation.
The steps include multiple confirmations that users want to download this software and warnings that it comes from an “unknown source” (referred to by Epic as “scare screens”), and changing various settings on their smart device to avoid dead ends.
“It's designed to make players abandon the game before they reach the end, so that's what we're concerned about,” Allison said. “It undermines competition in general, especially when we're competing with Apple and Google, who only make their players go through one step to install something.”
“We're starting with our own games for a reason. This creates a lot of friction for users. We have some of the biggest games in the world, so this is a huge motivation for players to continue to do so, and our goal is to get as many installs as possible (hopefully tens of millions, if not 100 million) before we hit the end of the year when we'll start adding third-party games.”
Epic is incentivizing players with rewards and in-game currencies across all three titles to help them reach the level of installs the company hopes for, but Sweeney said there's not much more his team can do to “overcome the fear that Google's warnings create.”
“They present Epic's software as if it came from an 'unknown source' – the user is downloading one of the most popular and well-known games in the world. Google knows who we are – we beat them in federal court last year in a major antitrust case – but Google continues to lie to users and say our software comes from an 'unknown source.'”
Another concern, especially on iOS, is the fees Apple has introduced for developers using alternative stores, including the Core Technology Fee that charges game creators €0.50 for each install not done through their own App Store.
Apple will also introduce additional fees in September as part of changes made to comply with the DMA, following an EU investigation that preliminarily found the company was violating iOS regulations.
“This is a disincentive for third-party developers to join other stores, keeping them in a walled garden,” Allison said of the fees. “The wall got higher and they put barbed wire around it with the core technology fee and some new stuff last week that we’re still trying to figure out. They’re adding new fees and changing the fundamental business model, even on the App Store, (in some ways) designed to keep bigger games from leaving their familiar environment and venturing out to work with partners like us.”
While the Epic Games Store is only available on iOS in the EU for now, Allison expects Apple’s ecosystem to open up in Japan and the UK next year, with more regions to follow.
“In the coming years, we hope to be available worldwide on iOS,” he said. “And we will continue to work with alternative stores around the world that offer excellent conditions to developers.”
As the mobile Epic Games Store opens up 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, where developers can opt into six-month exclusivity deals in exchange for 100% of revenue during that period.
Gaming Industry.biz He asked how Epic expects to perform in the mobile market, given the dominance of established stores. Android is already a fragmented market with multiple alternative stores available, including some integrated by phone makers such as Samsung, but Google Play remains the go-to place for users looking for new apps.
“I'm hopeful that a store that offers truly competitive terms and does everything it can to compete for the interests of developers and consumers will have a real chance of competing,” Sweeney said. “(And) a key to running any exclusive store is to have some exclusive products that are unique to you and that draw users to your store.”
Allison agreed: “If you’re not native to the device, you need to rely on exclusive content. You can have all the content that’s on every other storefront, but we’re blessed to be anchored in some of the biggest games in the world. It’s exactly how Steam on PC built its business. We’re fighting anti-competitive behavior, but we have the opportunity to scale and build something amazing here.”