Epic’s dream is starting to come true — its store will be preinstalled on ‘millions’ of Android phones

Telefónica, 1 of the largest carriers successful the satellite serving the UK, Spain, Germany, and Latin America with the O2 and Movistar networks, volition statesman preinstalling the Epic Games Store connected each caller compatible Android telephone it sells — including Samsung phones.

It’s portion of a “long word partnership” to bring the store and smash deed Fortnite to “millions” of the carrier’s devices, according to Telefónica and Epic. It’ll beryllium the archetypal clip the Epic Games Store is preinstalled connected user phones, and it could beryllium the adjacent large measurement successful realizing Epic’s dreams of challenging Google’s app store monopoly and increasing its chopped of revenue.

Last December, a national assemblage unanimously sided with Epic Games successful Epic v. Google, uncovering that Google had turned its Android app store and Google Play Billing work into an amerciable monopoly. Epic primitively sued successful 2020, alleging that Google had “blocked” oregon “bribed” phonemakers and cellular carriers to support games similar Fortnite and alternate app stores from being preinstalled connected phones.

But now, astir a period aft Judge James Donato barred Google from any further imaginable blocks oregon bribes, 1 of the world’s largest carriers volition statesman those preinstalls, adding an full rival crippled store (one that whitethorn besides transportation non-game apps successful the future) to Google’s own.

Telefónica wasn’t 1 of the carriers that Google “bribed,” Epic spokesperson Natalie Muñoz confirms to The Verge, truthful it’s not similar Judge Donato’s bid is making this recently possible.

In fact, Telefónica has partnered with Epic successful the past. In 2020, it began letting Movistar customers successful Spain tack their Fortnite purchases onto their telephone bill. That year, tribunal documents revealed Telefónica could expect to gain 5 percent of the proceeds from those Fortnite players arsenic a result. Verizon and Hutchison (Three, Wind Tre) were offered akin deals, but we don’t cognize if they’ll present travel suit.

I wonderment what Samsung thinks astir Telefónica preinstalling the Epic Game Store connected its phones — this September, Epic sued Samsung arsenic well.