Epic takes Fortnite off Galaxy Store in protest of anti-sideloading feature

Earlier this week, we reported that devices released with One UI 6.1.1 have Auto Blocker — a Samsung feature that prevents the installation of apps from unauthorized sources — enabled by default. Epic Games is now taking its most popular game off of the Galaxy Store in protest of this feature.

Today, the creator of Fortnite announced it will be making some changes to its mobile game strategy. The company began its blog by stating Fortnite will be returning to iOS in countries that are part of the EU. It also revealed that the multiplayer shooter will be heading to more mobile stores.

One of the new mobile stores Fornite will appear on is the AltStore on iOS in the EU. The developer/publisher notes that it plans to announce support for at least two other third-party stores, but doesn’t say what stores or when the announcement will come. The only information the company offers here is that the announcement will come “soon.”

Epic also revealed that it plans to end distribution partnerships with mobile stores it believes “serve as rent collectors without competing robustly and serving all developers fairly.” The firm claims that it is doing this because of its advocacy “for the rights of stores to exist and compete fairly on iOS and Android.”

It seems that Epic believes Samsung’s Auto Blocker, which prevents sideloading, hinders fair competition. As a result, the company has declared that Fortnite and its other games will be removed from the Galaxy Store in protest.

Fortunately, Galaxy owners who want to add the Fortnite app on their Android phone should be able to do so through alternative means. The Epic Games Store is expected to launch on Android, but no date has been given yet.