Epic Games says Fortnite returning to iOS in EU, leaving Samsung app store

(Reuters) -Videogame company Epic Games said on Thursday its popular title "Fortnite" will be returning to Apple's iOS systems in the European Union soon, amid a long-winded legal battle with the iPhone maker.

Epic has been attempting to expand the distribution of its games beyond smartphone companies' official app stores, opposing steep commissions on in-app payments and users being limited to downloading applications through dedicated stores.

The company also said its videogames will be leaving the Samsung Galaxy Store in protest of the phone maker's decision to block default side-loading - the installation of applications on a mobile device without using its dedicated app store - on Android devices, calling it "anticompetitive".

Along the same lines, Epic said its mobile games will come to AltStore on iOS in the EU. AltStore is a third-party store that enables side-loading.

Epic will also announce "support" for at least two other third-party stores, it said.

The firm's marketplace, the Epic Games Store, will also be coming to Android worldwide and iOS in the European Union. It did not specify the timeline for the same.

Apple had approved Epic Games' marketplace app on iPhones and iPads in Europe earlier in July, after Epic escalated its feud with the technology giant.

The iPhone maker also faces intense antitrust scrutiny of its App Store practices with EU competition regulators saying in June that it breaches the rules of the Digital Markets Act.

(Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)