The Epic Games Store is coming to iOS and Android

The Epic Games Store is coming to iOS and Android devices. The announcement was made at the company's State of Unreal 2024 event.

Steve Allison, the General Manager of the Epic Games Store, announced that the mobile app store will be available by the end of this year on Android and iOS, along with Fortnite for iPhone. You can watch the event on YouTube, from the 1:03:00 mark, to learn more about the mobile app store.

Allison took a jab at Apple and Google, saying that Epic had fought the good fight on behalf of all app developers. The company has had a rough past with both platforms, and took on both the Silicon Valley moguls in antitrust lawsuits. Epic emerged the victor in its feud against Google, after the latter's requirement of forcing developers to use the Play Store and its billing service was found to be monopolistic, and thus breached anticompetitive laws. However, Epic lost its long antitrust battle against Apple.

But, things turned out better, at least for users in the European Union, as Apple was forced to open up its ecosystem to allow users to sideload apps and third-party app marketplaces, in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act. The Cupertino company's new rules are restrictive, Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, criticized Apple, saying that the company wasn't complying with the DMA. This led to Apple banning Epic's recently reinstated account, but hastily reversed the decision, fearing a backlash from antitrust regulators in the EU. This allowed epic to go ahead with its plans to launch its mobile app store for iOS and Android.

Epic Games Store app for iOS and Android to launch this year

Allison said that Epic wants to create a true multi-platform store focused on games, for PC, Mac Android, and iOS. Epic shared a screenshot of its upcoming mobile app store, and the concept art looks nice. It will allow users to browse games that are available on the platform, and purchase them directly using a phone.

What's interesting here is that the app will not be a launcher that is exclusive to Fortnite. Allison said that the Epic Games Store on mobile will host content from third-party partners, which means that users will be able to download games that were created by other developers, though it is not clear who its partners are.

Speaking of which, Epic is extending its 88/12 revenue share that is currently available for PC developers, making it available to mobile app developers. In case you didn't know, the majority of gaming platforms take a 30% cut from app developers, including Steam. Google reduced the fee from 30% to 15% for the first $1M of the earnings of apps that are distributed via its Play Store. Apple recently announced that it will allow third-party payment methods in the U.S., but will still charge a commission fee from developers. As for apps distributed via third-party stores in the EU, developers will need to pay a Core Technology Fee of 50 Euro cents per install on an annual basis. Compared to these options, Epic's 12% fee seems more enticing for developers.

The Epic Games Store debuted in 2018 on PC, and has amassed a large user base, largely aided by its Free Games program. Epic's Store ended 2023 with over 270 Million users on PC, and has over 75 Million monthly active users.

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