Epic Games, the creator of "Fortnite," announced on Thursday that it will introduce 19 third-party games to its Android marketplace app globally and 16 games to its iOS app in the European Union. This move follows the launch of Epic's mobile game store in 2024, which enables it to bypass the fees charged by traditional app marketplaces like Google Play and Apple's App Store for in-app purchases.

Epic has long argued that the dominance of these two major app stores limits user choice and stifles competition. As part of its strategy, Epic will also roll out a program offering free games on its mobile store, with titles like "Bloons TD 6" and "Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee" among the first offerings. In Europe, Epic will cover the 0.50 euro technology fee charged by Apple on apps surpassing one million installs for developers participating in this free games initiative.

Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, stated that the company aims to build a unified cross-platform store, starting with a small selection of third-party games and expanding it over time. By the end of 2024, Epic Games' mobile store had reached 29 million users, falling short of its goal of 100 million users. In addition to its mobile game store, Epic is known for its Unreal Engine, a widely used tool for game development.

Epic Games had previously clashed with Google and Apple over their app store commission fees, which can be as high as 30%. After being banned for almost four years, Epic's "Fortnite" has now returned to iPhones in the EU and Android devices worldwide.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Epic Games