Epic Games has expanded the catalog of the mobile version of the Epic Games Store (EGS). Now, in addition to its own games, the store also features games from third-party companies.
The first addition includes 17 games in the Android version and 15 games in the iOS version of the store. The list includes Shapez, Evoland 2, Pilgrims, Mafia City, Super Meat Boy Forever Mobile, and others.
Simultaneously, Epic Games launched a program for the free distribution of mobile games. The company announced that initially, it will give away one mobile game per month, but later it will switch to a weekly format, similar to its PC giveaways. The debut game for the giveaway is Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee.
During a press conference dedicated to these changes, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney stated that developers participating in the program will receive compensation from Epic Games for Apple's Core Technology Fee (CTF) during the first 12 months. This fee is 50 euro cents per month for each iOS download outside the App Store within the European Union — Apple starts charging it once an app's annual downloads exceed 1 million.
“It's unprofitable and will lead to significant losses, but we want to overcome the CTF barrier. This fee is a thoroughly insidious initiative, cleverly created and cleverly protected. European regulators need to abolish it first and foremost,” said Tim Sweeney.
It is reported that the mobile version of EGS has been downloaded 30 million times since its launch in August 2024. Initially, Epic Games planned to reach 100 million downloads by January, but according to Sweeney, this was not achieved due to the policies of Google and Apple. When EGS is downloaded on a smartphone, a notification appears warning that the installer might be malicious software. According to the head of Epic Games, this deterred many users.
It is worth noting that the iOS version of EGS is currently only available to residents of the European Union.