Epic Games announced its intention to release Fortnite in the alternative AltStore store for users from the European Union – the popular game will be available for download on iPhone and iPad.
Image source: fortnite.com
Created by developer Riley Testut, AltStore PAL became one of the first alternative app stores for iOS. The store went live for European users in April – Apple was forced to partially open its ecosystem in accordance with the local Digital Markets Act (DMA). AltStore is an open source application through which the popular game emulator Delta from Testut itself and applications from other independent developers are distributed.
Epic Games will not have to pay the AltStore owner a commission for the presence of Fortnite on the site, but Apple, according to the new rules, will charge the game publisher €0.50 after the game reaches the first million installs in a year. For the same reason, all users who install AltStore itself will have to pay €1.50 per year.
Epic Games said that Fortnite will appear in other app stores, “which provide favorable conditions to all developers”; but the company will “end distribution partnerships with app stores that act as commission collectors.” In particular, Fortnite and other Epic Games mobile games will disappear from the Samsung Galaxy Store because the Korean manufacturer blocked the installation of applications from third-party sources by default.
Finally, the company confirmed plans to launch the Epic Games Store for iOS in Europe – payments made through the platform will be subject to a 12% commission, and transactions through third-party systems will be free.