[STEAM] Fortnite will return to Android worldwide after Google slashes platform changes

[Steam 0]

Epic Games announced that Fortnite will return to Android and the

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Play Store worldwide after

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announced changes opening up the platform.

In a blog post, Epic said

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has announced significant changes that will open up Android devices to competition in stores and payments, and Epic has settled its disputes with

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worldwide including in the U.S., Australia, and United Kingdom.

Among the changes,

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is slashing the fees it charges for games and apps on

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Play, and it is also allowing game and app companies to use their own payments, allowing for fees as low as 5% of in-app purchase fees.

“Android is now fully open to robust competition among mobile app stores outside of the US, and Epic and

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have submitted a proposal to the US District Court to finalize the same here,” Epic said. “Globally, developers will have choices in how they make payments using

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Play’s payment system and competing payment systems, with reduced fees and the ability to point users outside apps to make purchases. And

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will take steps to support the future open metaverse. “

Epic said these changes will evolve Android into a true open platform with competition among stores, as we’ve seen on Windows where Steam, the Epic Games Store, Good Old Games, and others offer consumers and developers real choice and lower prices.

Epic will be investing robustly in serving developers and gamers with the Epic Games Store for Android, and will also be bringing Fortnite back to the

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Play Store worldwide.

In his own post, Sameer Samat, president of the Android Ecosystem, said that Android has always driven innovation in the industry through its unique flexibility and openness.

“At this important moment, we want to continue leading the way in how developers distribute their apps and games to people on billions of devices across many form factors. A modern platform must be flexible, providing developers and users with choice and openness as well as a safe experience,” Samat said.

He said Android has launched substantial updates that evolve its business model and build on the long history of openness globally. 

“We’re doing that in three ways: more billing options, a program for registered app stores, and lower fees and new programs for developers,” Samat said.

Expanded billing choice on

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Play for users and developers

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Play is giving developers even more billing choice and freedom in how they handle transactions. Mobile developers will have the option to use their own billing systems in their app alongside

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Play’s billing, or they can guide users outside of their app to their own websites for purchases. The goal is to offer this flexibility in a way that maximizes choice and safety for users. 

This is something Epic Games has long sought in its antitrust litigation.

Leading the way in store choice

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introducing a program that makes sideloading qualified app stores even easier. The new Registered App Stores program will provide a more streamlined installation flow for Android app stores that meet certain quality and safety benchmarks. 

Once this change has rolled out, app stores that choose to participate in this optional program will have registered with Android and so users who sideload them will have a more simplified installation flow. If a store chooses not to participate, nothing changes for them and they retain the same experience as any other sideloaded app on Android.  

This gives app stores more ways to reach users and gives users more ways to easily and safely access the apps and games they love.

This Registered App Store program will begin outside of the US first, and

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intends to bring it to the U.S. as well, subject to court approval.

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Lower pricing and new programs to support developers

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said

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Play’s fees are already the lowest among major app stores, and today it are taking this even further by introducing a new business model that decouples fees for using its billing system and introduces new, lower service fees. Once this rolls out:

1. Billing: For those developers who choose to use
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   Play’s billing system, they will be charged a market-specific rate separate from the service fee. In the European Economic Area (EEA), ***, and US that rate will be 5%.
2. Service Fees:  
   1. For new installs (first time installs from users after the new fees are launched in a region), we are reducing the in-app purchase (IAP) service fee to 20%.  
   2. We are launching an Apps Experience Program and revamping our
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      Play Games Level Up program to incentivize building great software experiences across Android form factors associated with clear quality benchmarks and enhanced user benefits. Those developers who choose to participate in these programs will have even lower rates. Participating IAP developers will have a 20% service fee for transactions from existing installs and a 15% fee on transactions from new app installs.
   3. Our service fee for recurring subscriptions will be 10%.

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Rollout timelines

This is a significant evolution, and we plan to share additional details in the coming months. To make sure we have enough time to build the necessary technical infrastructure, enable a seamless transition for developers, and ensure alignment with local regulations, these updated fees will roll out on the following staggered schedule:

• By June 30: EEA, the United Kingdom and the US.
• By September 30: Australia  
• By December 31: Korea and Japan
• By September 30, 2027: The updates will reach the rest of the world.

We will also launch the updated

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Play Games Level Up program and new App Experience program by September 30 for EEA, ***, US, and Australia and then it will roll out in line with the rest of the schedule above.

We plan to launch Registered App Stores with a version of a major Android release by the end of the year.

Resolving disputes with Epic Games

With these updates, we have also resolved our disputes worldwide with Epic Games.

We believe these changes will make for a stronger Android ecosystem with even more successful developers and higher-quality apps and games available across more form factors for everyone. We look forward to our continued work with the developer community to build the next generation of digital experiences.

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