Fortnite’s Back on the Menu, Boys: Epic Games Store Goes Online for iOS and Android

After years of ineligible fights betwixt Epic, Apple, and Google implicit the iPhone and Android makers’ app store restrictions, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney is astir to get his past licks in. Starting Friday, the Epic Games Store is making its mode onto Android and iOS. Unfortunately, you’ll person to hold to play Fortnite connected mobile if you unrecorded successful the U.S. oregon elsewhere.

Epic announced successful a press release that its caller Epic Games Store is disposable to download done the company’s website. The institution created a tutorial for iPhone and Android users to travel erstwhile installing the other app store. 

For iOS, installing the app involves going into the settings to toggle a mounting that lets you download apps from the web. Android phones springiness a modular informing that the “File mightiness beryllium harmful” erstwhile you effort to download it. That’s beauteous funny, considering just how overmuch junk you find connected the Play Store. You besides person to spell done the phone’s settings to let your telephone to download apps from the Epic Games Store.

In its release, Epic calls retired some companies for “intentionally poor-quality instal experiences laden by aggregate steps, confusing instrumentality settings, and scare screens.” The institution said it plans to proceed to spell to tribunal implicit Apple and Google’s “anti-competitive terms.”

#FreeFortnite status: Fortnite has been freed connected iOS successful Europe, acknowledgment to the Digital Markets Act. Apple continues to artifact Fortnite from a cardinal players successful the remainder of the world, and the conflict rages connected to reconstruct escaped marketplace competition.https://t.co/A4JFGI4EbC

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) August 16, 2024

It’s been 4 years since Apple pulled Fortnite disconnected the App Store, claiming the company’s in-game store violated its app policies. Google past removed Fortnite from the Google Play Store. Users could inactive watercourse the crippled to their phones, but passim the aboriginal 2020s, players had small means to play the crippled natively. The restrictions besides meant users couldn’t entree different Epic exclusives similar Fall Guys and Rocket League Sideswipe. 

Epic besides declared its games were going connected the autarkic app marketplace AltStore PAL. This week, Epic gave a grant to the AltStore developers truthful users nary longer needed to wage the €1.50 yearly interest to download. AltStore devs said connected Wednesday that the yearly payments were to assistance screen the outgo of Apple’s Core Technology Fee. 

Google has faced intense scrutiny stateside for its Play Store aft Epic won its years-long suit against the Mountain View tech giant. A assemblage declared Google’s App Store an amerciable monopoly, which has forced the hunt elephantine to let much third-party platforms onto Android. We’re present waiting to spot however a national justice successful California plans to marque sweeping changes to however Google handles apps connected Android. Google has continued to assertion that a much unfastened ecosystem could let malicious apps onto users’ phones.

Federal justice James Donato reportedly told Google attorneys, “We are going to teardrop the barriers down,” according to Fox26 local.

Last year, the European Commission forced Apple to unfastened a tiny doorway into its infamously restrictive walled plot with the Digital Markets Act. In June this year, the European Commission claimed Apple had already violated the caller enactment with its obtuse app store policies. The EU could fine the tech elephantine $30 billion. The U.S. has not passed immoderate instrumentality arsenic drastic arsenic the DMA, though feds sued the Cupertino, California tech giant successful June regarding Apple’s notorious 30% App Store fee. While it’s bully quality for iPhone users successful the EU, it remains the presumption quo for U.S.-based iPhone users, astatine slightest for now. Google faces dense scrutiny for its monopolistic practices regarding Search. The U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly considering breaking up Google. Before it would propulsion a Teddy Roosevelt, the Feds mightiness besides unit Google to stock much of its ecosystem with rivals.