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Telef\u00f3nica, one of the largest carriers in the world serving the UK, Spain, Germany, and Latin America with the O2 and Movistar networks, will begin preinstalling the Epic Games Store on every new compatible Android phone it sells \u2014 including Samsung phones. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
It\u2019s part of a \u201clong term partnership\u201d to bring the store and smash hit Fortnite<\/em> to \u201cmillions\u201d of the carrier\u2019s devices, according to Telef\u00f3nica and Epic. It\u2019ll be the first time the Epic Games Store is preinstalled on consumer phones, and it could be the next big step in realizing Epic\u2019s dreams of challenging Google\u2019s app store monopoly<\/a> and increasing its cut of revenue<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Last December, a federal jury unanimously sided with Epic Games<\/a> in Epic v. Google<\/em>, finding that Google had turned its Android app store and Google Play Billing service into an illegal monopoly. Epic originally sued in 2020, alleging that Google had \u201cblocked\u201d or \u201cbribed\u201d phonemakers and cellular carriers to keep games like Fortnite <\/em>and alternative app stores from being preinstalled on phones. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n But now, roughly a month after Judge James Donato barred Google from any further potential blocks or bribes<\/a>, one of the world\u2019s largest carriers will begin those preinstalls, adding an entire rival game store (one that may also carry non-game apps in the future) to Google\u2019s own.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Telef\u00f3nica wasn\u2019t one of the carriers that Google \u201cbribed,\u201d Epic spokesperson Natalie Mu\u00f1oz confirms to The Verge<\/em>, so it\u2019s not like Judge Donato\u2019s order is making this newly possible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In fact, Telef\u00f3nica has partnered with Epic in the past. In 2020, it began letting Movistar customers in Spain tack their Fortnite<\/em> purchases onto their phone bill. That year, court documents revealed Telef\u00f3nica could expect to earn five percent of the proceeds<\/a> from those Fortnite<\/em> players as a result. Verizon and Hutchison (Three, Wind Tre) were offered similar deals, but we don\u2019t know if they\u2019ll now follow suit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I wonder what Samsung thinks about Telef\u00f3nica preinstalling the Epic Game Store on its phones \u2014 this September, Epic sued Samsung as well<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n