Epic will bring Fortnite to third-party iOS app stores

Epic Games plans to bring Fortnite to the third-party iOS app store AltStore PAL, which is lone disposable successful the EU. The institution made the announcement successful a Thursday blog post astir its strategy for mobile stores, and it says it expects to denote enactment for “at slightest 2 different third-party stores soon.”

While Epic says that it plans to “bring our ain mobile games including Fortnite to different mobile stores that springiness each developers a large deal,” it didn’t supply a circumstantial timeline. In summation to Fortnite, Epic besides plans to bring Rocket League Sideswipe to AltStore PAL, spokesperson Natalie Munoz tells The Verge.

When reached for comment, AltStore’s Riley Testut pointed to Epic’s station and said that “we’re precise excited to beryllium bringing Fortnite and much to AltStore PAL.”

The institution is besides moving connected bringing Fortnite to iOS successful the EU, which it says volition hap “soon,” and launching its ain app store on iOS and Android.

Epic besides announced that “we volition beryllium ending organisation partnerships with mobile stores that service arsenic rent collectors without competing robustly and serving each developers fairly, adjacent if those stores connection america a peculiar woody for our ain games.” Epic is presumably talking astir Apple and Google here, fixed the company’s disputes with both companies implicit their app store practices. Munoz declined to comment.

Epic besides plans to propulsion Fortnite and its mobile games from Samsung’s Galaxy Store. The institution cites 2 factors arsenic to why. One is Samsung’s “Auto Blocker” diagnostic that blocks sideloading by default (though you tin crook the diagnostic off, according to 9to5Google). Another is “public revelations successful the US Epic v. Google suit of ongoing Google proposals to Samsung to restrain contention successful the marketplace for Android app distribution,” presumably referring to initiatives similar Project Banyan, which Google gave up on.

Apple, Google, and Samsung didn’t instantly reply to a petition for comment.