Epic removes Fortnite from mobile app stores to prepare for own store launch
Publisher also pulls games from Samsung Galaxy store due to side-loading settings
Epic Games is pulling Fortnite and other games from mobile app stores ahead of the launch of its own digital storefront on iOS and Android.
In an announcement, the publisher said it would be ending distribution partnerships with mobile stores "that serve as rent collectors without competing robustly and serving all developers fairly, even if those stores offer [it] a special deal on [its] own games."
Epic also revealed it would be removing Fortnite and its other titles from the Samsung Galaxy store due to the company's decision to block side-loading by default on Samsung devices.
It also cited a claim that Google's "proposals to Samsung to restrain competition in the market for Android app distribution" as a reason for this decision.
The publisher announced that its mobile games will be available on AltStore on iOS in the European Union, and "at least" two other third-party stores in the near future.
It confirmed that its own storefront will have the same terms as its PC digital store, in that developers will be subject to a 12% fee for processing payments, with no fee if they use a third-party payment system.
The Epic Game Store will launch in the EU on iOS and Android sometime this year, and on iOS in the UK during the second half of 2025.