Video game company Epic Games said on Thursday that its hit game “Fortnite” will soon return to Apple’s iOS in the European Union after a lengthy legal battle with the iPhone maker.
Epic Games has been trying to expand the distribution of its games beyond smartphone companies’ official app stores, objecting to high commissions on in-app payments and restrictions on users downloading apps through specialized stores.
The company also said its video games would be leaving the Samsung Galaxy Store in protest of the phone maker’s decision to block sideloading (the installation of apps on a mobile device without using its dedicated app store) by default on Android devices, calling it “anti-competitive.”
Likewise, Epic said its mobile games will be available on the EU AltStore for iOS. AltStore is a third-party store that supports sideloading.
Epic will also announce “support” for at least two other third-party stores.
The company’s marketplace, the Epic Games Store, will also be available on the global Android platform and the EU iOS platform. It did not specify a timeline for the same.
Apple approved Epic Games’ Market app for iPhone and iPad in Europe in early July, after Epic’s feud with the tech giant escalated.
The iPhone maker also faces intense antitrust scrutiny over its App Store practices, with the European Union’s competition watchdog saying in June that it violated the rules of the Digital Markets Act.
© Thomson Reuters 2024