The ongoing battle between Epic Games and Apple over in-app purchases has been a four-year-long saga that is finally reaching its climax. Epic has announced its plans to deploy its games, including the highly popular Fortnite, on the third-party app marketplace AltStore, instead of exclusively on its own Epic Games Store. This move is good news for iOS users in the European Union (EU), as they will have access to Fortnite once again, but it is bad news for Samsung fans, as the game will no longer be available on the Galaxy Store.
The turning point came in January, when Apple made a significant concession to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. For the first time in the history of the iPhone, third-party app stores were allowed on iOS. In response to this news, Epic announced that Fortnite would be returning to iOS “through the Epic Games Store.” The company stated that it was leaving app stores that acted as “rent collectors” without providing fair competition to all developers. As a result, Epic decided to remove its games from Samsung’s Galaxy Store. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney explained that this was because Samsung blocked sideloading by default. Additionally, Epic sued Google, accusing the Play Store of being anti-competitive. The company claimed that Google had proposed to Samsung “to restrain competition in the market for Android app distribution.” Currently, Fortnite is not available on the Google Play Store either.
According to a recent report by Android Authority, new Samsung devices with One UI 6.1.1 now block sideloading by default. While users can re-enable this feature through settings, most people are not aware of when or where to do so. In a blog post, Epic announced that its game marketplace will be available on Android worldwide and on iOS in the EU, although no specific date was given. The company stated that Fortnite and its other mobile games would be accessible on third-party iOS app stores, including AltStore, for EU iPhone users. Epic also mentioned that these games would be available on two other third-party app shops in the near future.
In March, Apple revoked Epic’s developer account, accusing the company of being “verifiably untrustworthy” in its contractual agreements. Epic made the letter public, and CEO Tim Sweeney claimed that their access had been revoked due to his anti-Apple tweets. Apple stated that the matter was a result of Epic’s breach of contractual obligations. However, two days later, Apple reinstated Epic’s developer account in the EU. Epic has been actively advocating for fair competition on iOS and Android, citing various regulatory investigations around the world, victory in the Epic v Google litigation in the US, and the spread of similar laws in the UK and Japan. The company asserts that its platform offers a better deal for developers, as it only takes a 12% cut for all payments, while the popular PC game marketplace Steam typically takes a 30% cut. The Epic Games Store is set to launch on iOS and Android in the EU later this year, and it will be available on iOS in the UK by the second half of 2025.
It is worth noting that players do not necessarily need the Fortnite app to play the game on iPhone or Android. They can stream it through Xbox Cloud Gaming or other services like Amazon Luna, provided they have reliable internet speeds to handle streaming and in-game latency. Are Epic and CEO Tim Sweeney justified in their anger? Yes, but only in terms of a company being restricted by the notoriously high-walled gardens of both Android and iOS. However, this ongoing dispute ultimately impacts consumers the most. New players may find it challenging to determine where they can actually play Fortnite or any other Epic mobile game. Until Epic releases its app store on both ecosystems, many players will be left confused and unable to access the game they enjoy.
In conclusion, the battle between Epic Games and Apple over in-app purchases has taken a significant turn as Epic plans to launch its games on the third-party app marketplace AltStore. This move provides iOS users in the EU with access to Fortnite once again but removes the game from the Samsung Galaxy Store. While this ongoing feud between Epic and Apple has raised concerns about fair competition and high-walled gardens on both Android and iOS, it ultimately affects consumers who may struggle to find where they can play their favorite games.
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