It’s a big day for Epic Games. Not only did the company launch its wildly successful Fortnite mobile game on the AltStore PAL platform in the European Union, but it seems they’ve also kicked off the Epic Games Store.
Much like AltStore PAL, the Epic Games Store is a direct result of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which compels Apple to allow third-party application marketplaces outside of the proprietary App Store.
The Epic Games Store is available on the iPhone and iPad in the EU, as well as on the Android platform worldwide. From it, users can download popular games including Fortnite, Fall Guys, and Rocket League. This marks the first time Fall Guys has ever been available on mobile devices, and mobile players can play cross-platform with PC, console, and other mobile players.
Special rewards are available for early-bird adopters. Downloading from the Epic Games Store and/or the AltStore PAL unlocks in-game challenges with unique cosmetic rewards in all three games. Details per the Epic Games blog post below:
To celebrate this momentous occasion, we’re offering exciting new rewards. If you download and install the Epic Games Store and our games on mobile now, you’ll find in-game challenges in all three games that reward players with cosmetics that include a brand new Fortnite 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 soon in Rocket League. Quests and challenges are visible on all platforms but can only be completed in-game on a mobile device (dedicated streaming services on mobile devices don’t qualify).
Players can unlock these in-game rewards after downloading our games from the Epic Games Store on mobile and AltStore PAL on iOS in the European Union. We’re working to bring our games to stores that offer great terms for all developers, and these rewards will also be available when our games are downloaded from other mobile stores through November 2. We also plan to bring our games to Aptoide’s iOS store in the EU and ONE Store on Android.
Installing the Epic Games Store on the iPhone and iPad is a somewhat convoluted process, so the Epic Games team has made a demonstration video (provided below) that showcases the entire installation process:
According to Epic Games, the installation process was made complicated by Apple and Google both, on purpose, in an attempt to dissuade users from trying it out.
Epic Games plans for the Epic Games Store to become the leading multi-platform game store, which is a tall order, but likely possible given the reach this company has. The attractive 88/12% revenue share beats out Apple’s 70/30% App Store rates, so it’s a given in many cases.
Unfortunately, the Epic Games Store isn’t available on the iPhone and iPad in the United States at this time. Apple doesn’t want to allow it if they can help it… but United States regulators are taking notice of Apple’s behavior and this could change.
Are you going to be trying the Epic Games Store? Let us know why or why not in the comments section down below.