Epic Games Store to come preinstalled on Android Telefónica devices

• Epic Games has teamed up with telecommunications operator Telefónica for a new deal
• It will see the EGS for mobile come preinstalled on Android devices sold through the company
• That means users of O2 in the UK, Movistar and Vivo elsewhere will all receive the EGS as a default option

If the phrase "the Epic Games Store will come preinstalled on Android Telefónica devices" is one that makes you shrug your shoulders, you may want to reconsider. This is a decision worth looking into and one that represents a major move by Epic for the future of their catalogue on mobile, and here's why.

Telefónica, better known as O2 in the UK and by a number of other brands around the world, operates in dozens of countries. For this new long-term partnership between Fortnite developers Epic Games and Telefónica, you'll soon find their storefront coming preinstalled alongside others on devices sold via Telefónica and its brands.

Basically, the Epic Games store will now sit alongside Google Play as one of the default marketplaces for anyone picking up a phone. And given the amount of effort Epic has put into placing themselves ahead of the competition, this could mark a major turning point.

Effortless

One of my personal views is that the largest barrier for third-party storefronts is convenience. Many casual users don't even know, or really care, about options outside of what already comes on their phone. So Epic managing to swing a major deal that will see them placed as one of the defaults for users in Spain, UK, Germany, Spanish-speaking Latam and even further afield already puts them one major step ahead.

There's also the fact that this is described as only the first step in their partnership. Previously the two collaborated on a digital experience that brought the O2 Arena (or the Millenium Dome as it's also known) into Fortnite back in 2021.

For Epic, who have spent most of the last few years out in the cold during the ongoing legal battle with Apple and Google, this is a major sidestep. And one that could soon see even more payoff - hopefully for users on the other side of the screen too.