Epic Games has announced a partnership with Telefónica, one of the world's largest telecommunications providers, to preinstall the Epic Games Store on new compatible Android devices across its network. Telefónica operates in Spain, the U.K., Germany, and Latin America.
This collaboration will bring the Epic Games Store to millions of smartphones, marking the first instance of the store being preinstalled on consumer devices. Telefónica users will have easy access to popular titles like Fortnite, Fall Guys, and Rocket League Sideswipe, with plans for third-party games to become available in the future.
Epic Games highlighted the significance of this partnership, stating it aims to create a more competitive ecosystem for Android users by offering an alternative to traditional app marketplaces.
The announcement follows a significant legal victory for Epic Games in its antitrust case against Google. A federal jury determined that Google's app store and billing system functioned as an illegal monopoly. In October, a judge ordered Google to make its app store more accessible to competitors and give Android users greater flexibility in downloading apps.
This move further strengthens Epic’s efforts to challenge the dominance of Google Play and the Apple App Store. The Epic Games Store, which launched in August, is also working with developers to expand its game library.
Telefónica previously collaborated with Epic as the first telecom provider to enable Direct Carrier Billing on the Epic Games Store. Lorena Itziar Senador-Gómez Lázaro, Telefónica’s director of Partnerships and Devices, expressed excitement about the partnership, emphasizing its focus on delivering high-quality and innovative digital experiences to customers.