Telefonica has partnered with Epic Games to provide the “Fortnite” video game maker’s marketplace app straight to millions of devices on the Spanish company’s network, the firms announced on Thursday.
The “Epic Games Store” marketplace app will come pre-installed on all new compatible Android devices that connect to the Telefonica network in Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, and Spanish-speaking Latin America.
The move will make it easier for gamers to download games such as “Fortnite,” “Fall Guys,” and “Rocket League Sideswipe” directly from Epic’s store, rather than relying on traditional app.
It also marks the first time Epic’s gaming shop would come pre-installed on an Android smartphone. According to the firms, users will eventually be able to download third-party games.
The collaboration is also a gain for Epic, which has been striving to broaden the distribution of its video games beyond smartphone manufacturers’ official app stores and has accused Alphabet’s Google and Samsung of limiting app store competition.
Epic Games previously clashed with Google and iPhone maker Apple over their policy of charging up to 30% commissions on app store payments. Fortnite, which had been banned for nearly four years, returned to iPhones in the European Union and Google’s Android devices globally in August.