Epic Launches Game Store on Mobile Bringing Fortnite Back to iOS After 4 Years
Fortnite returns to iOS devices for the first time in four years now that Epic has launched its own mobile game store – but only in the EU.
Posted 3 months ago
Fortnite can be played on iOS devices again for the first time in four years after Epic launched its mobile game store today – but only for EU players.
The Epic Games Store is now available on both Android (worldwide) and iOS in the EU, thanks to the European Union's Digital Markets Act, which partly upheld Epic's complaints that Apple had locked down consumer options on its devices. You can find out how to install the Epic Games Store on iOS or Android at these links, or using the handy video Epic made below.
Epic's games are also available through AltStore PAL – a sideloading app store – on iOS devices in the EU. The launch line-up includes Fortnite and Rocket League Sideswipe (with standard Rocket League soon to follow), as well as – for the first time on mobile – Fall Guys.
©Epic Games
If you download and install the Epic Games Store on mobile, you’ll find in-game challenges in all three games that reward players with cosmetics that include a brand new Fortnite Katarina outfit and matching back bling, pickaxe and wrap; a brand new Fall Guys bean costume; a Fall Guys-themed pickaxe usable in Fortnite; and a gold vehicle trim that can be used immediately in Fortnite and Rocket League Sideswipe, and whenever standard Rocket League is available on the mobile store.
Quests and challenges that unlock these cosmetics are visible on all platforms but can only be completed in-game on a mobile device.
“The tide is turning and the mobile ecosystem is finally opening up to competition," said Tim Sweeney, CEO and founder of Epic Games. "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.”
Epic has squarely taken aim at Apple's developer relationships in recent years, touting their 88/12% revenue share split as far more generous to devs who choose to sell through the Epic Games Store than Apple's 30% take.
The Digital Markets Act became applicable last year, identifying companies like Google, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft as "gatekeepers" of "core services" in the digital landscape.
The issue of inadequate competition on these digital platforms was given more weight by stunts like the one Epic pulled in 2020, attempting to circumvent Apple's 30% revenue share of any purchases made through apps on iOS – including V-Bucks – and having Fortnite pulled off the App Store as a result.
