Epic Games launches mobile store, bringing Fortnite and Fall Guys to iOS and Android

The Epic Games Retailer is launching on mobile immediately.

The Fortnite agency introduced it is going to be bringing its video games market to Android worldwide, and to iOS within the European Union thanks to this yr’s Digital Markets Act requiring Apple to allow third-party shops on its mobile ecosystem.

Epic’s mobile catalogue will start with three titles, beginning with Fortnite, which marks its return to iOS, in addition to Rocket League Sideswipe (a spin-off of the favored racing sports activities sport that launched in 2021) and the model new Fall Guys Mobile. The latter will function cross-play and cross-progression with the favored on-line sport already on PC and consoles.

These three titles can even launch on AltStore, an unbiased mobile retailer additionally accessible on iOS. They are going to be coming to Aptoide on iOS and the One Retailer on Android at a later date. Epic is even in discussions with Microsoft relating to its upcoming Xbox mobile retailer, though phrases haven’t been set but.

In a media brefing earlier this week, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney thanked the European Fee for not solely passing the DMA regulation that enabled the Epic Games Retailer to launch on iOS but in addition for “really going in on holding Apple and Google’s feet to the fire to ensure that they can’t just obstruct competition.”

“[Apple and Google] are going to great efforts to slow us down and tried to stop us several times, and the EC always stepped up and ensured that competitors were able to enter the market, which we’re now doing,” he stated.

“This is just the beginning of efforts to bring our games back to all these platforms worldwide. The fight’s not over until Fortnite is back on iOS everywhere and free of Apple’s junk fees and [tech fees]. But this is an awesome milestone.”

Steve Allison, normal supervisor of the Epic Games Retailer, added: “The industry needs this. We’re super excited about our progress on this — we’ve a long way to go, but we’re on our way.”

Epic Games is aiming for 100 million new internet installs throughout iOS and Android by the tip of 2024, which Allison believes is achievable on a degree enjoying area however notes that each Apple and Google have launched “pretty significant” for customers.

Putting in the Epic Games Retailer isn’t so simple as discovering it within the App Retailer or Google Play and simpling clicking ‘Set up.’ As a substitute, it have to be downloaded immediately from Epic’s web site and the method on every platform requires makes use of to undergo a number of steps — 15 on iOS, 12 on Android, by Epic’s estimations — to approve its set up.

Steps embrace a number of confirmations that customers need to obtain this software program and warnings that it comes from an ‘unknown supply’ — dubbed by Epic as ‘scare screens’ — and altering numerous settings in your sensible machine to keep away from lifeless ends.

“It’s designed to make players drop out before they get to the end of it, so we’re concerned about that,” stated Allison. “This undermines competitors throughout the board, particularly once we’re competing with Apple and Google who solely put their gamers via one step to get one thing put in.

“We’re starting with our first-party games for a reason. This is a lot of friction to put users through. We have some of the biggest games in the world, so this is a lot of motivation for players to go through these steps and our goal is to get as many installs — hopefully tens of millions, if not that 100 million — before we get to the end of the year, when we’ll be starting to onboard third party games.”

“This is just the beginning of efforts to bring our games back to all these platforms worldwide. The fight’s 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 supplied step-by-step guides to gamers on how to set up the shop on iOS and Android. It’s also incentivising gamers with in-game rewards and foreign money throughout the three titles to assist attain the extent of installs the corporate hopes for, however Sweeney stated there’s not a lot else his workforce can do to “overcome the fear Google’s warnings create.”

“They portray Epic’s software as coming from an ‘unknown source’ — the user is downloading one of the most well-known and popular games in the world. Google knows who we are, we defeated them in federal court last year in a major antitrust case, but Google is still lying to users and saying our software is from an ‘unknown source.'”

One other concern, notably on iOS, are the charges Apple has launched for builders utilizing various shops, together with the Core Know-how Charge that prices sport makers €0.50 for each set up that does not come through its personal App Retailer.

Apple can also be introducing extra charges as a part of modifications made to adjust to the DMA, following the EU’s investigation that preliminarily discovered the iOS agency was in violation of the brand new rules.

“These disincentives third-party developers from joining other stores, keeping them in the walled garden,” stated Allison of the charges. “The wall got higher and they put barbed wire around it with the Core Tech Fee and some new things last week we’re still trying to understand. They’re adding new fees and changing the fundamental business model, even on the App Store, [in a way] designed to stop the biggest games leaving their familiar environment and venturing out to work with partners like us.”

Whereas the Epic Games Retailer is simply accessible on iOS within the EU for now, Allison is hoping Apple’s ecosystem will open up in Japan and the UK subsequent yr, with extra areas to observe that.

“Over the next couple of years, hopefully we’ll be available worldwide on iOS,” he stated. “And we’re continue to work with alternative stores worldwide that offer developers great terms.”

As and when the mobile Epic Games Retailer is opened to third-party builders, Epic will proceed to provide the 88-12 income share accessible within the PC retailer, in addition to packages comparable to Epic First Run, the place builders can choose into six-month offers exclusivity in trade for 100% income throughout that interval.

GamesBusiness.biz requested how Epic hopes to fare on mobile given the dominance of the established shops. Android is already a fragmented market with a number of various shops accessible, together with some built-in by cellphone producers comparable to Samsung, however Google Play stays the go-to place for customers looking for new apps.

“I am hopeful that a store that comes in with genuinely competitive terms and does its best to vye for developers’ and consumers’ interests will have a real chance to compete,” Sweeney stated. “[And] a key to operating any exclusive store is to have some exclusive products that are unique to you and draw users into your store.”

Allison agreed: “If you’re not device native, you need to be anchored on exclusive content. You can have all the content that’s on all the other stores, but we have the blessing of being anchored on some of the biggest games in the world. It’s exactly how Steam on PC built their business. We’re fighting anticompetitive behaviour, but we have an opportunity to scale up and build something awesome here.”

“We have the blessing of some of the biggest games in the world – exactly how Steam on PC built their business. We have an opportunity to scale up and build something awesome here”

Steve Allison, Epic Games

The launch of the Epic Games Retailer is a serious milestone within the Fortnite agency’s ongoing authorized disputes with Apple and Google over the 30% charge and different practices Epic maintains are anti-competitive – and Sweeney reiterated that the corporate will proceed combating each companies, insisting they’ve an excessive amount of energy over their mobile platforms.

By means of instance, he stated that after Epic Games Sweden acquired an iOS developer account so as to create the mobile retailer, Apple “revoked it because of our past dispute.” He added Apple has additionally tried to block the Epic Games Retailer as a result of, for example, it initially used a blue button marked ‘Get’ to set off installs. Apple argued this was too comparable to the ‘Get’ button of its personal retailer, so Epic modified it to learn ‘Set up’ – but Apple reportedly continued to block it.

“If you give Apple the arbitrary power to block competitors’ access to the platform, they can block whoever they want,” stated Sweeney. “That energy wants to be taken away from Apple. There wants to be zero Apple involvement or Apple friction in turning into an authorised developer for these platforms.

“The platform needs to be opened up like Windows, where developers can make software for it without Microsoft’s permission. Or the power needs to be transferred to actual regulators, rather than Apple.”

When requested if he has any regrets over the four-year authorized dispute, Sweeney replied: “I have no regrets. Apple had to be challenged.”

He concluded: “We’ve probably lost $1 billion through Fortnite not being available worldwide on iOS, but what’s the cost of freedom?”