Epic signs deal "to make Fortnite and Epic Games Store more accessible on millions of Android devices"
"Players will be able to easily download Fortnite, as well as third party games in the future."
Epic Games has signed a deal with European telecommunications company Telefónica to pre-install the Epic Games Store on all its new Android devices.
This means that new Android Telefónica customers in Spain, Spanish-speaking Latam, Germany, and the UK will have access to Epic Games' suite of games right out of the box in a move to "make Fortnite and the Epic Games Store more accessible on millions of Telefónica Android devices".
"Players will now be able to more easily download Fortnite, Fall Guys and Rocket League Sideswipe as well as third party games in the future," Epic said. "This is just the beginning, and over the next year the companies plan to expand the partnership and bring more benefits to mobile players across the Telefónica network."
Epic said this new "strategic alliance" will provide Android players with "a more competitive ecosystem [...] empowering them with a choice beyond the conventional app marketplaces". It follows Apple's decision back in August 2020 to boot Fortnite from the App Store after Epic deliberately circumvent contractually mandated App Store payment mechanisms within the game, kicking off Epic boss Tim Sweeney's public war with Apple in US courts.
"Thanks to our partnership with Telefónica, players will now be able to access the Epic Games Store, Fortnite and soon games from third party developers directly on their Android device," said Michael Modon, senior director of growth partnerships for Epic Games. "We look forward to expanding our collaboration with Telefónica to bring even more benefits to players."
Earlier this week, Epic Games confirmed it would continue to support Fortnite Festival, the game's Rock Band-style mode developed by Harmonix, for the forseeable future.