By Sagar V. Mankar Last month, Epic Games finally launched its mobile store after years of facing challenges with Apple and Google. Though it currently offers only a few games, Epic is taking a gradual approach to expanding its collection. Recently, Steve Allison, the manager of the Epic Games Store, revealed some exciting plans for the mobile store during Unreal Fest 2024.
According to Allison, as reported by MobileGamer.biz, the mobile store will add up to 50 third-party titles and introduce its popular free game giveaway program, similar to what they offer on their PC marketplace, by the end of this year.
Here’s what Epic has planned:
1. More Games:
- Epic aims to have between 10 and 50 third-party games on their mobile store by the end of the year.
- Currently, their mobile store only offers Epic’s own games like Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and Fall Guys.
- Adding third-party games means they’ll have a wider variety of games from different developers.
- One specific game mentioned is “Ark: Ultimate Mobile Edition,” which will be one of the first third-party titles on the store.
2. Free Games Program:
- Epic plans to offer free games on their mobile store, just like they do on their PC store.
- On PC, this program has been very successful in attracting users to their platform.
- Users can claim these games for free and keep them forever.
- This strategy helps Epic compete with other stores and build a loyal user base.
3. Self-Publishing Tools:
- Epic is developing tools to make it easier for developers to put their games on the Epic Games Store.
- These tools are expected to be ready in early 2025, possibly as soon as January.
- Self-publishing means developers can upload and manage their games on the store without needing direct involvement from Epic’s staff.
- This could lead to more games being available in the store more quickly.
4. Social Features:
- Epic is working on adding social and party features to their mobile store.
- This includes things like in-game chat, allowing players to communicate while playing.
- They’re also working on cross-platform play, which would let mobile players interact with players on other devices like PCs or consoles.
A Sweet Deal for Game Developers
Epic is also offering a special deal to encourage developers to use their store. If a game uses Unreal Engine and launches on Epic’s store first (or at the same time as other stores), Epic will take a smaller cut of the profits (royalty) – just 3.5%. For context, both Apple and Google generally take a 30% commission on app sales and in-app purchases.
However, this offer currently applies only to PC, Mac, and Android platforms, as iOS was excluded due to Apple’s Core Technology Fee. Despite this, Epic has plans to include iOS support in the future and promises to give developers at least four months’ notice before making any changes.
Epic Games Store aims to reach 100 million installs across both Android and iOS by the end of the year.