At long last, Epic Games is bringing its digital storefront to leading mobile platforms: iOS and Android. The rollout, promised by the end of this year, marks the return of its popular metaverse-like free-to-play title, Fortnite, to both platforms, alongside several other third-party titles.
Epic's decision to bring Epic Games Store to mobile devices comes after years of legal battles with major platform gatekeepers like Apple and Google. The conflicts stemmed from disputes over app store policies, particularly around payment processing and the distribution of apps.
Epic made the announcement during GDC 2024, where it outlined its vision for a mobile gaming future that emphasizes fair terms for developers and an expansive library of games for players.
On the technical side, the Epic Games Store on mobile will offer developers a favorable 88/12 percent revenue split, a significant drop from the traditional 30 percent taken by existing app stores. Furthermore, developers using their payment processing services for in-app purchases will be able to retain 100 percent of the revenue generated. This approach challenges the current app store model and it aligns with Epic's ongoing efforts to promote a more developer-friendly ecosystem.