Third-party games arrive on iPhone and Android with the Epic Games Store

The mobile distribution platform for the game mobile Fortnite was initially launched as a channel for the mobile version of Fortnite following a dispute with both Apple and Google. Epic Games has always had bigger ambitions for the mobile version of its store. Now, finally, they are realizing these dreams, allowing third-party games to enter their mobile gaming market.

Epic Games has announced the expansion of its Epic Games Store to include third-party mobile games. The CEO Tim Sweeney revealed that the store will launch with titles from numerous developers, covering both paid and free games, available globally on Android and in Europe within the European Union.

To encourage people to try the store, Epic is launching a free-to-play mobile game program, offering a rotating selection of free titles. Initially, new free games will appear monthly, transitioning to a weekly schedule over the following year. The program begins with a set of games available for free until February 20th.

During the expansion, the mobile version of Epic Games App Store is receiving some important updates, including persistent access to one's own Epic Account on different platforms and an automatic update feature for games and apps. Developers are offered attractive terms for publishing their mobile games on the market, including an 88/12 revenue share on payments processed by Epic and no commissions for third-party payment methods. To complete the package, we also have the Epic "Launch Anywhere with Epic" program, which offers a reduced royalty rate of 3.5% from 5% for games developed with Unreal Engine and published in the Epic App Store starting in 2025, provided they launch the platform before or at the same time as other platforms.

It's important to note that Epic has announced assistance with publishing games in its mobile store a long time ago. While it may seem strange that it is being announced as something new this time, it seems that the path towards realizing this has been taken. Additionally, it should be mentioned that AltStore PAL, partially funded by Epic, has already supported game publishing for a certain period of time.

Tools for self-publishing mobile games are currently in beta by invitation, but Epic says they intend to make them widely available this year. Developers are encouraged to submit their games for consideration.