Epic plans to launch the Epic Games Store on the iPhone this year in the European Union… and along with the store, their idea is to bring Fortnite back to the bitten apple platform. This is the price to pay for a trial that is already historic.
The announcement by Epic Games comes after Apple shared how it will open iOS in response to the EU’s strong measures against big tech companies.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney achieves his goal of returning to iOS without having to go through Tim Cook’s hoop. The legal battles between the two giants have ended with a bittersweet taste for both.
The victory that Epic Games has been waiting for since 2020
Epic still doesn’t have a clear plan on how or when it will make its landing on iOS. They say that the store will launch “by the end of this year” and that Fortnite will be available through it.
Both will only be available in European countries covered by the Digital Markets Act. “Stay tuned for details as we uncover the regulatory timeline,” he said in a Twitter post, adding that “we will continue to argue before the courts and regulators that Apple is infringing the law.”
Fortnite has been off iOS for a whopping three years, after Apple kicked out the game and banned Epic for sneaking in third-party in-app payments. Epic subsequently sued Apple for it in a case that just concluded last week: Epic largely lost.
Apple continues to monitor third-party app stores, which means that Epic may have trouble with the launch.
Epic has been saying for years that they would like to bring their game store, currently available for Windows and macOS, to iOS as well. The store takes a smaller portion of fees than Apple’s App Store, which could make it an attractive option for developers if Epic manages to sell the project.
