Epic finally launches the Game Store on iPhones in the EU

CEO Tim Sweeney told reporters he was pleased the EU had put pressure on Apple and Google to ensure they could not hinder competition.

Popular mobile game titles such as Fortnite, Fall Guys and Rocket League Sideswipe are coming to iPhones in the EU after developer Epic Games opened a new store in the bloc.

In an announcement, the US video game company said its Epic Games Store is now available for download on iPhones in the EU and Android devices worldwide. The games are also available on third-party app store AltStore.

The move followed a long legal battle between Epic and tech giants Apple and Google, which criticized it for allegedly unfair app store rules. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney recently told reporters he was grateful to the European Commission for passing the Digital Markets Act, which aims to crack down on anti-competitive behavior by Big Tech companies.

Sweeney said the EU has put pressure on Apple and Google to ensure they cannot hinder competition. “They have gone to great lengths to slow us down and have tried to stop us on several occasions, and the European Commission has always stepped in and made sure competitors could enter the market.”

Epic first confirmed last month that Fortnite and other titles would return to iOS devices in the EU, as well as third-party app stores “that offer a fair deal to all developers.”

At the same time, Epic announced that the games would disappear from the Samsung Galaxy Store in protest against the new policy of “blocking sideloading by default.” Samsung users must now deactivate the “Auto Blocker” option in their settings.

Epic claimed the change prevented users from installing competing stores. Epic fought this issue in an antitrust settlement with Google last year and won.

Also last month, Epic Games announced that Apple had approved its application for an app store for iOS devices after it was initially rejected. Epic had previously criticized Apple for unfairly blocking its attempts to open its own Epic Games Store for iOS devices.

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