Gamespot recently kicked off a gaming event called Play for All, and during this event, the website interviewed Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games. In this interview, it was revealed that Tim still plans to bring the Epic Games Store to Android, something we first learned about back in 2018. Seeing that over the last two years the studio has changed its stance on listing games on the Google Play Store, it stands to reason that Epic’s and Google’s relationship isn’t the best, so it’s nice to confirm that the studio still plans to bring the Epic Games Store to Android.
Epic’s relationship with Google has been filled with turmoil ever since the studio decided to launch the Android version of Fortnite as a stand-alone release through its own website, cutting out Google and the 30% cut it would take from all in-game sales if the title were listed on the Play Store. This publicized outsting from Epic was then met by Google’s report that the stand-alone version of Fortnite’s installer contained a security flaw, proving precisely why listing third-party APKs can be dangerous, something Epic had been warned about in advance of the game’s release. A few months later, Epic was at it again, but this time it was erroneously calling Google’s 30% cut on the Play Store illegal.
Following Epic’s security goof with the Fortnite installer and the false labeling of illegal activity, the studio eventually gave in and released the game on the Play Store.
When considering all of this absurd turmoil between Epic and Google, it’s easy to understand why many of us would be questioning whether Epic still planned to bring the Epic Games Store to Android. This is why Gamespot’s recent interview with Tim Sweeney is so relevant.
