Epic Games is taking a significant step in expanding its mobile game store by launching a free games program, which includes covering Apple's Core Technology Fee (CTF) for participating developers. This move aims to overcome the hurdles posed by the App Store and promote cross-platform gaming.

The free games program, which starts with Bloons TD 6 and Dungeon of the Endless: Apogee, will offer new games each month, eventually switching to a weekly schedule. To sweeten the deal for developers, Epic will pay the CTF, a 50 euro cent fee levied on every install of an iOS app that uses third-party stores after exceeding 1 million annual downloads, for one year.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has been an outspoken critic of the CTF, calling it "ruinous for any hopes of a competing store getting a foothold." By covering the fee, Epic hopes to encourage more developers to join its store and promote cross-platform gaming. Sweeney emphasized that the company's goal is to build a single, cross-platform store where users can own their games and digital items everywhere, regardless of the platform.

The move is seen as a strategic maneuver in Epic's long-running fight against Apple and Google over their mobile operating system practices. Epic has challenged both companies over their restrictions and fees, citing them as deterrents for developers. The company quotes anonymous game developers who attribute the CTF as a major hurdle to joining its store.

Epic's mobile store has struggled to gain traction, with only 29 million installs at the end of 2024, compared to its goal of 100 million. The company attributes this partly to friction like mobile "scare screens," which drive away users from installing the Epic Games Store more than 50 percent of the time.

Sweeney remains optimistic about the future of app store competition, despite the challenges. He believes that the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) will be robustly enforced, leading to greater competition and user choice. Epic is hoping that the EU will take action on what it alleges is a violation of the DMA by Apple.

The company's fight against Apple and Google is far from over, with Sweeney prepared to continue the battle for the better part of this decade. Despite the challenges, he remains optimistic that the industry will change, citing the "ridiculous irony" that Epic Games can only fully compete with the App Store on equal terms in Europe.

In the end, Epic's move to cover the CTF for developers is a significant step towards promoting cross-platform gaming and increasing competition in the app store market. As the company continues to push for change, it remains to be seen how Apple and Google will respond to these developments.