The weekly free games offered by Epic Games Store are an easy way for PC gamers to add to their game library with aging titles and help Epic Games attract players to its store, which is often considered inferior Steam due to inactivity.
Epic Games Store
Epic Games currently offers a free game program in its mobile store for iOS (at least in the EU) and Android. There was also Tim Sweeney’s speech at the Unreal Fest event in Seattle, as the Epic CEO continued to criticize Apple and Google.
During a panel discussion after the keynote, Epic Games Store CEO Steve Allison said that up to 50 more games could come to its mobile game store from the fourth quarter.
Epic’s “Free Games” program, a key user acquisition tool for its PC store, is also coming to mobile, he said, along with self-publishing apps and social features.
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Box: Ultimate Mobile Edition was revealed as one of the other titles that first hit the Epic Games mobile store. The release is planned for later this year.
Epic Games Store is best known for its free games. Every year, the store Epic Games manages to offer everyone a lot of video games. With the launch of the Epic Games Store on mobile and plans to expand the store in the future, the company has now confirmed that the free game program will also be available on mobile.
Announced during a panel discussion at Seattle Unreal Fest earlier this week, the free-to-play mobile game will launch in Q4 2024 and the publisher will add other apps to its mobile store at the same time.
Steve Allison, general manager of the Epic Games Store, who announced the program, was very clear about Epic’s intentions regarding free games: .
“Free games will start in the fourth quarter at the same time as other applications [the first ], and we will have some music stuff for the Player and it will be music for the development because it will help us with the statistics quickly. »
In order to gain ground against Steam and other PC companies, Epic Games used a simple and effective method: offering many games through the Epic Games Store.
Now that the Fortnite company is preparing to compete with Google and Apple in the field of mobile devices, it is not surprising that it will repeat its strategy.
Steve Allison, general manager of the Epic Games store, has confirmed that the company will soon start distributing games on its dedicated mobile store.
In this way, it aims to attract iOS and Android users and gradually remove them from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
The Epic Games Store launched earlier this year on Android worldwide and on iOS in the EU only, while Apple does not allow users outside of Europe to install third-party stores.
The store was created for mobile players playing Fortnite on Android and iOS, after the game was removed from the Apple App Store and Epic was removed from the Google Play Store.
The Fortnite creator also announced a new “ubiquitous release on Epic” program. It will now charge a reduced 3.5% royalty for Unreal Engine games released on the Epic Games Store before or at the same time as stores on other platforms.
The Epic Games Store has removed the requirement to ship on iOS due to Apple’s “restrictive commercial” technology charge, but if it changes, Epic said it will give developers at least four months notice.
Here’s what Epic Games Store Manager Steve Allison had to say about the mobile game store during a panel discussion after yesterday’s Unreal Fest keynote:
“During the holidays, we’ll be open with other first-class equipment,” he said. “Maybe we expect between 10 and 50 of them to be ready, the most important thing is to implement the payment system, which can push some of them in the following months. »
“Free games will start in the fourth quarter alongside other apps. We will have some great things for players that will also be great for developers, because it will help us increase the app. app. »
“Then there is a self-publishing device, which means that developers can come without any interaction with us, as they do with PC today, maybe in the first half of the year, hopefully – very close in January as possible ».
Epic is also working on adding social features through its storefront, such as game chat and cross-platform play, which could launch “a little later in the year,” Allison said. “When these three things come together, we will be ready to start. »
And of course, Tim Sweeney took the opportunity to criticize old enemies Apple and Google at the event.
“Apple and Google have a complete worldview, which limits what developers can do, puts other restrictions, prevents things like the metaverse from happening, or taxes up to to the extent of removing all benefits,” he said during the keynote speech.
The Epic Games store has seen great growth in recent years amid some success and controversy. The store has changed in one aspect: free games come every week and, sometimes, turn into daily gifts during special periods.
This strategy has worked well for Epic Games, as it encourages PC players to return to their stores to grab the game and later use their services to make them happy.
Now that the Epic Games Store has entered mobile after a legal battle against Apple and Google, the developer will revise the strategy and start offering games for these devices.
There is no exact date, but we do know that free titles will start arriving between October and December. “The free game will start in the fourth quarter alongside other apps [first].
We will have some awesome things for the players and it will be awesome for the developers, because it will help us hand to extend quickly,” said Allison.
In this case, the company wants to attract the attention of the players and make them understand that the Epic Games Store is a good alternative to the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. This is how they plan to gain market share and build a strong community.
The director explained that by the holiday season, their mobile store will offer between 10 and 50 third-party apps. One of the first titles received is ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition. As for the free games, we don’t know who will be the first in the program.
Finally, Epic Games announced a private publishing plan for mobile games, where they will give developers a high percentage of game sales and game purchases in addition, the company is ready to leave your work for 6 months if the house services only offer their games in stores at the same time.
Epic says it will have “between 10 and 50” more apps in its mobile store before the holiday, although there are still some unfinished features, such as payment systems, which could kill time of these applications and games.
The Epic Games Store has faced a high-profile battle for profitability, with Epic recently laying off more than 800 employees due to financial constraints.
It is unlikely that Epic will have an easy time launching a mobile store during this game, especially since the store is on iOS in the EU, which leaves only Android for the United States, the second largest video game market. the world and the country with the largest number of iPhone users.
“And we’re in a very expensive game development phase. Low margins in the gaming industry are suffering. Apple and Google get more profit from most games than the developers themselves, without giving anything in return. This must change. »
Sweeney also promised that Epic will continue to fight Apple and Google to open their platforms “until there is a final victory.”
Later, during a panel discussion on the mobile app store, Sweeney continued to criticize the tech giants when talking about the latest Epic lawsuit.
“Google and the rules allow the market to compete with Android, but Google is more subtle than Apple,” he said. “At least Apple tells you – it’s written in the law: ‘You have no right to compete with us’. Google says you are and does all sorts of twisted things to block you. »
He accused Apple and Google of “ignoring the law” and “deprecating it completely.”
He added, “Apple and Google are scary, their bad behavior and their efforts to make unnecessary investments in things that make it really difficult to compete,” he added.
“But yes, this is what we are fighting for, this is what we are fighting for, we will continue to fight until the problem is resolved. »
