Fortnite Returns to EU App Store
Four years after Fortnite was removed from the App Store, iPhone users can once again take advantage of this battle royale in the EU, as Epic Games re-released its most famous game through its Epic Games Store. For Android users, Fortnite is back again globally.
Thanks to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Epic Games could launch its game store and add its battle royale game. The DMA has been instrumental in reshaping the digital landscape, promoting competition, and ensuring that tech giants like Apple and Google cannot monopolize app distribution.
“We are really grateful to the European Commission for not only passing the DMA and enabling store competition but also going in and robustly holding Apple and Google’s feet to the fire to ensure that they can’t just obstruct competition,” Epic CEO Tim Sweeney told Reuters and Bloomberg reporters in a press conference.
The company’s CEO revealed that Epic may have lost up to $1 billion in revenue after Fortnite was removed from the App Store. This significant financial hit occurred because the company didn’t want to pay the 30% fee imposed by Apple and Google’s stores.
While the experience of downloading the game isn’t as seamless as it should be, Sweeney says, “Once you go through the 15 horrible steps to get the store on your device, it works really nicely.”
The return of Fortnite to the EU App Store marks a significant victory for Epic Games and a notable shift in the digital marketplace. The DMA's impact is already being felt, and it sets a precedent for other regions considering similar legislation. For gamers, this means more choices and potentially lower costs as competition heats up.
Epic Games' bold move to challenge the status quo has paid off, and it will be interesting to see how other developers respond. The gaming community is buzzing with excitement, and industry analysts are closely watching how this development will influence future app store policies worldwide.