Epic Games has announced a number of new updates to how Fortnite will be distributed on mobile devices, including its planned removal from the Samsung Galaxy Store and its addition to a number of other mobile storefronts in the near future.
In a blog post today, Epic revealed that it would be bringing its mobile games, including Fortnite, to “other mobile stores that give all developers a great deal” and that it would be “ending distribution partnerships with mobile stores that serve as rent collectors without competing robustly and serving all developers fairly, even if those stores offer us a special deal for our own games.”
Sadly, Fortnite and our other games will be leaving the Samsung Galaxy Store in protest of their new policy of blocking side-loading. This change obstructs users from installing competing stores and is an issue we fought and won in the US Epic v Google US antitrust trial.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) July 25, 2024
The post specifically calls out EU and iOS-only storefront AltStore as one of the places Epic Games will soon appear, adding that it expects to announce support for “at least two other third-party stores soon.” Additionally, Epic is preparing to bring its own Epic Games Store app to Android globally and iOS in the EU soon.
Conversely, Fortnite will be removing Fortnite and its other games from the Samsung Galaxy Store “in protest of Samsung’s anticompetitive decision to block side-loading by default on Samsung Android devices.” This is related to a recent change to new Samsung phones which will block sideloading apps by default – though users can turn this function off.
This is especially notable given that way back in 2019, Epic and Samsung were working together, with an exclusive themed skin being offered in Fortnite to Samsung Galaxy owners. That said, relations don’t seem to have fully soured between the two companies. In a tweet, CEO Tim Sweeney reassured that Epic will “continue to support Samsung devices fully and wholeheartedly now and in the future.”
Epic has long used Fortnite as a key piece of leverage in ongoing legal disputes over app store fees and regulations. CEO Tim Sweeney is a vocal critic of storefronts such as the App Store and Google Play taking 30% revenue cuts from developers, and has undergone multiple legal challenges in efforts to bypass that cut via sideloading and bespoke store apps.
Epic’s battles against the major mobile storefronts have led to mixed results against Apple and Google respectively, and further hurdles with Apple have arisen as Epic takes steps to bring its game store to iOS in the EU. However, Epic appears to remain steadfast in retaining as much control as possible over the distribution of its games.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
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