Epic Games Store and Fortnite arrive on EU iPhones

It's been four years since Fortnite, one of the world's most popular games, was pulled from the Apple App Store in a blaze of controversy. Today, it's returning to the iPhone—but only in the European Union.

Today marks the launch of the Epic Games Store on Android and iOS—iOS just in Europe, Android worldwide. Right now, it just has three games: Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and Fall Guys. And you'll have to be in Europe to access it on your iPhone.

The Epic Games Store is run by Epic Games, the same company that develops and publishes Fortnite. Most folks who have been paying attention to either Epic or Apple in recent years know the story at this point, but here's the quick summary and analysis.

At the direction of CEO Tim Sweeney, Epic made changes to Fortnite related to digital payments that Apple said violated its terms for developers on the platform. Apple removed Fortnite, and a lengthy PR and legal battle ensued between the two companies.

In the US, a judge's decision granted some small wins to Epic and other developers seeking to loosen Apple's grip on the platform, but it kept the status quo for the most part.

Things went a little differently in Europe. EU legislators and regulators enacted the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which had far-reaching implications for how Apple and Google run their app stores. Among other things, the new law required Apple to allow alternative app stores on the iPhone.

Apple's compliance was far from enthusiastic (the company cited security and privacy concerns for users, which is valid, but the elephant in the room is, of course, its confident grip on app revenues on its platforms), and it was criticized for trying to put up barriers. Additionally, Apple rejected Epic's attempts to launch its app store multiple times for a few arcane reasons amid a flurry of tweets and statements from Sweeney criticizing the company.

Despite Apple's foot-dragging, Epic has finally reached the point where it could launch its app store. Epic had already launched a relatively successful App Store on PC, where Valve's Steam holds a strong grip on users. The new iPhone app store doesn't offer nearly as many options or perks as the PC version, but Epic says it's working on wrangling developers onto its store.

It also says it will release its games on other alternative app stores on iOS and Android, such as AltStore PAL.

Epic Games Store and Fortnite arrive on EU iPhones

Epic Games Store and Fortnite arrive on EU iPhones

Epic Games Store and Fortnite arrive on EU iPhones

Epic Games Store and Fortnite arrive on EU iPhones

Epic Games Store and Fortnite arrive on EU iPhones