Epic last year challenged Apple and Google in a Melbourne court alleging that two dominant mobile platforms illegally misused their market power to force developers like Epic to use the iPhone and Android app stores and payments systems.
In August, four years after it was pulled from Apple and Google’s app stores, Epic Games brought back three in-house games – including Fortnite – to iPhones in the EU and Android devices worldwide, courtesy of its new Epic Games Store.
Epic is now adding games from third parties to its mobile marketplace in an attempt to more directly challenge Apple and Google.
They are the first batch of mobile games from external developers to appear on the Epic Games Store and include games on Google Android devices globally and Apple iOS devices in Europe. Some of them will be free to play, possibly encouraging downloads.
When Epic launched its Games Store, Fortnite and other Epic Games titles Fall Guys and Rocket League Sideswipe arrived on iOS devices in Europe and to Android devices globally through the new Epic Games Store, although standalone Epic Games titles remained banned on the App Store and Google Play Store.
Epic Chief Executive Officer Tim Sweeney said that the company invested more than A$1.6 billion in its digital storefront.
Sweeney acknowledged that Epic has faced significant headwinds since it launched its Games Store and has missed its download targets.
“Apple and Google are making this really hard,” Sweeney said, according to Bloomberg. “We had a goal of 100 million installs with first-party games. We knew that would be really hard. We ended up at 30 million.”
“We’re spending more money than we’re making every year because we choose to invest in growth,” he said.
Epic Games Store’s desktop and mobile store charges a 12% commission – compared to an average of 30% by Apple.
Sweeney called the Apple and Google app stores “the biggest abuse of market power in modern history.”
Epic has admitted that none of the 100 highest-grossing mobile game developers were willing to offer titles on the Epic Games Store because of Apple’s Core Technology Fee and other restrictions imposed by the companies.
Under Apple’s Core Technology Fee, the most popular mobile games may be subject to a download fee when a developer opts to distribute them on an alternative app store.
To counter that, Epic will cover the cost for all titles from developers that participate in the Epic Games Store’s free games programme on iOS or iPadOS devices.