Microsoft allows Epic Games on its app store without fee

Microsoft Corp said it’s bringing Epic Games Inc’s storefront to its online app store, part of the software company’s policy to allow third parties wide availability on Microsoft’s digital sales platform.

Epic’s Fortnite and games from Amazon.com Inc will be available via search or browsing the Microsoft Store on Windows, the Redmond, Washington-based company said Tuesday in a statement. The world’s largest software provider also said it won’t take a cut of purchases made through the digital storefronts if the third party has its own payment systems.

“It’s also about making sure our business terms are fair and help promote innovation,” Microsoft said.

Microsoft’s approach is aimed at attracting content providers to its platforms by contrasting its policies with those of Apple Inc, which is in a legal dispute with Epic over fees charged in the iPhone maker’s App Store.

Epic sued Apple in August 2020 after the iPhone maker removed Fortnite from its App Store, citing a workaround that circumvented Apple’s commission on purchases. A US judge in the case ruled this month that Apple can’t bar developers from pointing users to complete purchases outside the App Store, bypassing the company’s fees. Epic has appealed the ruling, while Apple doesn’t have to make any changes until December at the earliest. – Bloomberg