‘Fortnite’ maker Epic brings recreation retailer to Android gadgets with Telefonica tie-up

(Reuters) -Telefonica is partnering with Epic Video games to convey the “Fortnite” online game maker’s market app on to hundreds of thousands of gadgets on the Spanish telecoms firm’s community, the businesses mentioned on Thursday.

{The marketplace} app, known as “Epic Video games Retailer”, can be pre-installed on all new appropriate Android gadgets working on the Telefonica (NYSE:TEF) community throughout areas together with Spain, the UK, Germany, Mexico and Spanish-speaking Latin America.

The businesses mentioned the transfer would enable gamers to extra simply obtain recreation titles resembling “Fortnite”, “Fall Guys” and “Rocket League Sideswipe” straight from Epic, relatively than counting on typical app marketplaces like Google’s Play or Samsung (KS:005930)’s Galaxy retailer.

It marks the primary time Epic’s Recreation Retailer can be pre-installed on Android gadgets.

Customers will even have the ability to obtain third-party video games sooner or later, the businesses mentioned.

Epic has been making an attempt to broaden the distribution of its video video games past smartphone firms’ official app shops. It has accused Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s Google and Samsung of stifling app retailer competitors.

In an announcement, Google Play coverage communications supervisor Danielle Cohen mentioned builders like Epic had all the time been in a position to work straight with carriers to preinstall their apps or app shops.

“All that has modified is that Epic understands it will not obtain a free trip on Play, so that they’re lastly pursuing the choices which were obtainable to all of them alongside,” she added. 

Epic earlier had a face-off with Google and iPhone maker Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) over their guidelines of charging as much as 30% commissions on app retailer funds. After getting banned for almost 4 years, Fortnite returned to iPhones within the European Union and worldwide on Google’s Android gadgets in August.

Cary, North Carolina-based Epic and Telefonica mentioned they might broaden the partnership over the subsequent yr and “convey extra advantages to cellular gamers throughout the Telefonica community”, with out elaborating.