Today we are bringing the first batch of third-party mobile games to the Epic Games Store including 17 new games on Android globally and 15 new games on iOS in the European Union. While this is an important step in our fight, Apple continues to ban Epic, an American company, from launching our store on iOS devices in the U.S.
Even in places like the European Union where policy makers have passed laws, Apple and Google’s non-compliance continues to undermine competition and developer and consumer choice. So far none of the 100 highest grossing mobile game developers are willing to distribute their games on the Epic Games Store because of the Core Technology Fee and Apple and Google’s onerous restrictions and scare screens.
Apple’s Illegal Core Technology Fee Makes Alternative Distribution Unviable For Game Developers
If a developer wants the ability to distribute their app outside the App Store, Apple imposes a €0.50 “Core Technology Fee” (CTF) on every app that is installed on iPhones and iPads once it crosses one million installs. This means that over that threshold, even if a developer decides to list just one game on the Epic Games Store, they have to pay the fee every time any of their games are downloaded on iPhones or iPads, whether it’s from the Apple App Store or an alternative store. This is on top of the CTF Apple charges every time an alternative app store is installed. This is prohibitively expensive and a blatant violation of the Digital Markets Act.
To ease the burden, Epic will be covering the CTF for all titles for developers that participate in the Epic Games Store’s free games program on iOS or iPadOS devices, regardless of where the featured title is downloaded from. This is not financially viable for every third party app store or for Epic long term, but we’ll do it while the European Commission investigates Apple’s non-compliance with the law.
The CTF is the number one barrier for developers looking to distribute their app outside the App Store. One indie developer* told us: “if we have to pay for it, that's a big burden [for us]. If that fee amount is not provided by Epic or is not covered, we would like to not release on iOS until the CTF conditions are eliminated or if an Epic subsidy can be received.”
Another mid-sized PC and mobile game publisher said: “The major concern is connected with additional agreements that are needed to be signed between Apple and the Developer. It takes time plus, it adds specific requirements like additional payments that you have to do if your downloads reach 1M+ units.”
*Developer quotes are anonymous due to fear of retaliation from Apple
Apple’s and Google’s Lengthy Third Party Store Install Process Deters Players Over 50% of the Time
There have been 29 million installs of the Epic Games Store on mobile devices since we launched, well short of our goal of 100 million installs by the end of 2024. So far, more than 50% of the time a player tries to install the Epic Games Store on Android or iOS they are unsuccessful due to onerous scare screens. In the European Union, an additional 5 million attempts to install the Epic Games Store were blocked by Apple’s browser and operating system ‘Eligibility Requirements’.
The fight continues
Developers and players deserve to choose where they distribute their games and how they play them. It’s that simple. We’re working with regulators in the European Union to stop Apple and Google from breaking the law, and we plan to bring the Epic Games Store to iOS in the UK and Japan at the end of this year. Once policymakers and courts in other countries like Brazil, Australia, Korea and the United States make it possible, we’ll bring the Epic Games Store to iOS in those countries too. We will keep fighting to break down barriers not just for the Epic Games Store, but for everyone.