Epic and Apple may be at a truce (for now), but they will soon be direct competitors in the app ecosystem

Epic Games announced on Wednesday, March 20, that it will bring the Epic Games Store to both iOS and Android this year The company said during its "State of Unreal" presentation that the store will feature "Fortnite" as well as a number of third-party games; Epic did not say which games would be available

For developers, the move to offer their games on Epic's mobile store may make sense According to the company, the same terms (12% commission and Unreal Engine royalty waiver) as the PC version will apply to the mobile version

For years, Epic has played outside of the mobile space due to its ongoing feud with Apple over royalties and developer relations The company sued Apple in Europe, claiming that Apple's iron-clad control over the App Store was anti-competitive

Last month, Epic moved one step closer to iOS when the European Union enacted the Digital Markets Act (DMA) The law effectively mandates Apple (and other platform owners like Google) to allow third-party marketplaces to operate on their operating systems Shortly after this announcement, Epic announced that it would launch its own store for iOS

However, shortly after the DMA went into effect, Apple announced that it had expelled Epic from the developer community due to various complaints Epic, of course, balked at the move, but had little recourse Eventually, the two companies held closed-door discussions that led Apple to reinstate Epic on the grounds that Epic would comply with its policies

While it is clear what Epic plans to do, many important details about the Epic Games store are still unknown The company has not revealed exactly when the mobile game store will launch, and the library of available titles is also unclear Instead, Epic posted on X that it will be "a true multi-platform store available to all developers, bringing great games to everyone, on the same fair terms"

An information page on Epic's website was similarly tight-lipped, but confirmed that the store would only be available to iOS and Android users in the EU

"We look forward to bringing Epic's great mobile titles and other developers' apps to our customers in the European Union through Epic Games Store Mobile We plan to give our customers a great place to find the best mobile apps for Android and iOS devices and interact with their friends, while providing developers with a distribution channel based on fairness and openness"

For now, we only know that Epic is going mobile, and Apple may not be too happy if and when it is released this year

The absence from iOS of Fortnite, one of the world's most popular video games, has not gone unnoticed However, due to the ongoing feud between Apple and Epic, it was thought that without the DMA, it would never return to Apple's platform

As the DMA's enforcement date approached, Epic announced plans to launch its own app store in the EU and bring back Fortnite Naturally, European users were excited

However, the company now admits that it cannot unilaterally bring Fortnite to the platform due to Apple's ban Nevertheless, Epic has stated that it will explore the possibility of offering Fortnite to iOS users through another third-party app store It is unclear exactly which app store

Epic was under the impression that it could launch its own Epic Store on iOS This move would have been a boon for mobile gamers who wanted to access Epic's powerful game repository and download titles without Apple's oversight

However, now that Epic has lost its developer license, the Epic Store is also pulling out Again, Epic could work with other app stores to make their games more accessible, but it is also unclear if Apple could in any way block other titles available on other platforms

It is no secret that Apple has had iron-clad control over iOS since its launch Apple has argued that such control ensures security and enhances the quality of cell phone use However, its opponents say the move will only fill Apple's coffers and limit what developers can create

The DMA paves the way for developers who would otherwise be unable to get their apps approved by Apple's App Store to instead try their luck in third-party marketplaces with more lax rules and regulations It also allows for broader access to games and apps that Apple had previously banned

However, Apple's decision to ban Epic raises questions about its ability to pull developer accounts from other third-party app stores and ban them from iOS As of this writing, it is unclear how much control Apple has in shutting down third-party marketplaces and whether any attempts to circumvent the DMA by making similar claims to Epic could be called into question

Has Apple found a loophole that prevents users from accessing third-party marketplaces? It is too early to tell, but it is worth keeping a close eye on

To be clear, the US-Apple feud currently only affects European users and companies regulated by the DMA Therefore, it is unlikely that third-party app stores or Epic will soon find a way to offer "Fortnite" to US users