Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, announced on Friday that it has officially launched its rival iOS app store in the European Union. The Epic Games Store is also launching on Android worldwide.
The app store is launching with games including Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe and Fall Guys. The company says it’s working with developers to launch their games on the Epic Games Store in the future.
Epic Games is also bringing its games to independent mobile store AltStore PAL, which announced yesterday that its app store would be available for free thanks to a grant from Epic Games.
In the future, Epic Games plans to bring its games to Aptoide’s iOS store in the EU and ONE Store on Android, the company said.
Fortnite’s return to iOS comes over four years after Apple first removed the game from its App Store. Its return follows years of legal battles between the two companies, in addition to regulatory changes brought by EU’s Digital Markets Act, which is forcing Apple to open up to new rivals.
“The tide is turning and the mobile ecosystem is finally opening up to competition,” said Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney in a statement. “We are grateful to the European Commission for making it possible to launch the Epic Games Store and offer our games to iOS users in the European Union. Now European iOS users and all Android users can access our store and games, as they’ve always been able to do on open platforms like PC and Mac. The fight is far from over, but this is tangible progress for developers and consumers who can begin to benefit from competition and choice.”
The company has published videos to guide users through the steps they have to take to install the Epic Games Store on iOS and Android.
Epic Games says that for now, “the process of installing the Epic Games Store on iOS and Android is lengthy due to Apple and Google introducing intentionally poor-quality install experiences laden by multiple steps, confusing device settings, and scare screens.”
The launch of the Epic Games Store marks the first time Apple is having to face a notable rival looking to challenge its App Store dominance.
