Epic Games Store reaches iPhone in Japan with Fortnite and Rocket League Sideswipe

Epic Games Store is now available on iPhone in Japan, and that is a major mobile platform story even if it is not a traditional game launch. Epic says Japanese iPhone users can download its store and play Fortnite and Rocket League Sideswipe through it. For players, the immediate value is clear: Fortnite becomes more directly accessible again in another major iOS market. For the industry, the bigger point is distribution.

Japan joins the growing list of regions where regulation is forcing the iPhone ecosystem to open up, even if the process is still complicated and not as frictionless as downloading from the App Store. Epic is also using the launch to promote current Fortnite content and social features inside its ecosystem. For mobile developers, this is one to watch because third-party iOS stores only become truly meaningful when they move beyond first-party titles and start attracting a wider catalogue.