Epic Games Inc., the creator of the popular Fortnite game, is expanding its mobile marketplace by adding third-party games, escalating its ongoing dispute with Apple Inc. and Google over app-store fees.
The company announced on Thursday that the Epic Games Store will now host its first collection of mobile games from external developers. These games will be available on Google Android devices worldwide and on Apple iOS devices in Europe. Some of these games will be free to play.
Launched in August with titles like Fortnite and Rocket League, Epic Games’ mobile store represents a significant investment, exceeding $1 billion, according to founder and CEO Tim Sweeney. He shared these details during a press briefing, emphasizing the company’s commitment to growth despite its expenditures exceeding earnings.
Since 2020, Sweeney has been challenging Apple and Google’s dominance in mobile app markets, both in court and through market strategies. Although Epic has managed to secure some concessions, downloading the Epic Games Store remains a challenge on devices using Apple or Google software due to various restrictions imposed by these companies.
The wait is over! Nearly 20 new games, fresh features and our Free Game program are now live in the Epic Games Store on mobile 🤩
Grab Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee for FREE through February 20. More info: https://t.co/UlNwQ8CEEI pic.twitter.com/2hpNNefHex
— Epic Games Store (@EpicGames) January 24, 2025“Apple and Google are creating significant barriers,” noted Sweeney. He pointed out that while the company aimed for 100 million installs with its first-party games, it only reached 30 million due to these hurdles.
In 2023, a federal appeals court in California largely sided with Apple in a case where Epic accused the iPhone maker of maintaining a monopolistic app store. Nonetheless, Apple was ordered to allow alternative payment methods in its App Store. Epic also succeeded in an antitrust lawsuit against Google.
According to investment advisor Matthew Ball, Apple and Google amassed about $23 billion in 2023 from the 30% fees charged on app store sales. Ball argues that these fees hinder developers’ reinvestment capacity and innovation.
Sweeney, whose company charges a more modest 12% commission, criticized the high fees of Apple and Google’s app stores as “the most egregious abuse of market power in modern history.”
Despite the attractiveness of the Epic Games Store, none of the top 100 revenue-generating mobile game developers have yet agreed to list their games due to Apple’s Core Technology Fee and other restrictive measures. To mitigate these barriers, Epic has pledged to absorb the Core Technology Fee for any developer participating in its free games program on iOS or iPadOS.
“Investment is the term for spending more than you earn when building a substantial business,” Sweeney concluded.
