Epic Games Partners with Telefonica

Epic Games has officially announced an exciting new collaboration with telecommunications giant Telefonica, aiming to enhance the accessibility of its Epic Games Store (EGS) to mobile gamers. As part of this long-term partnership, the EGS will now come pre-installed on a range of compatible Android devices within Telefonica’s network. This includes popular Samsung devices across several regions, such as Spain, the UK, Germany, and Spanish-speaking Latin America.

This strategic move is a significant part of Epic Games' ongoing endeavor to ensure that its games, particularly the massively popular Fortnite, are more easily accessible to users, independently of traditional platform owners' stores and payment systems. Previously, Epic Games has been embroiled in legal disputes with Google and Samsung, accusing them of creating barriers that hinder the installation of the EGS on Android devices. The integration of the Epic Games Store on Telefonica devices is expected to simplify the installation process for gamers significantly.

Epic Games and Telefonica are no strangers to collaboration; they previously worked together to introduce Direct Carrier Billing for the EGS, allowing users to purchase games more conveniently through their mobile accounts. Lorena Itziar Senador-Gómez Lázaro, Telefonica’s director of partnerships and devices, emphasized the importance of this partnership, stating, “With this collaboration with Epic Games, we are reinforcing our commitment to delivering high-quality, accessible, and innovative digital experiences to our customers.”

Michael Modon, Epic Games' senior director of growth partnerships, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, noting that this development will enable players to access not only the Epic Games Store and Fortnite but also third-party games directly on their devices. The collaboration promises to bring more benefits to players and signifies a promising future for mobile gaming.

In addition to this partnership, it will be interesting to see how Epic Games plans to expand its footprint in the competitive mobile gaming space. With increasing competition from other gaming platforms and subscription services, the collaboration with Telefonica could be a game-changer, potentially leading to more exclusive content or promotions for users of Telefonica devices. Stay tuned for what’s next in this evolving story!