Spotify is now available for free on the Epic Games Store – the massive storefront of the Fortnite developer who previously only housed video games. The music app is the first of its kind on the Epic Games Store, but it looks like more non-nameless apps may be on the way.
The Spotify offering from the Epic Games Store is pretty straightforward. You can now access the store and download the Spotify app on your computer from the downloader of the Epic Games Store. It’s no different from downloading it from the Spotify website or your mobile device, which used to be the easiest way to install the app.
At first glance, Spotify’s turn to Epic Games is just a bit strange. But an Epic representative confirmed that neither Epic nor Spotify have made any money from this deal, and that Epic will not get the usual 12% discount on Spotify Premium subscriptions. Spotify’s placement in the Epic Games Store isn’t about money – at least not about instant profit. The point is to build Epic Games Store into a real app platform, where people of all kinds will download Epic’s ecosystem and connect them with games and apps like Spotify.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because you have something similar in your pocket: the Apple App store or the Google Play store. Users can download all kinds of apps from the mobile stores, including media apps like Spotify and games – and Google and Apple both get their advantage when someone makes a purchase. If Epic is to create a similar ecosystem – especially with its mobile plans – the studio’s motive behind its lawsuit with Apple and Google could be more than avoiding Apple’s 30% increase.
With Epic’s 12% off games (and zero off Spotify), the company is envisioning itself to be kinder to potential apps and games than its competitors, undermining the market to encourage developers to flock to the Epic Games Store .