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Fortnite for Android Not Coming to Google Play: Epic Games

Fortnite for Android Not Coming to Google Play: Epic Games

By Rishi Alwani | Updated: 7 August 2018 13:55 IST

Highlights

Fortnite Android will be available via the Fortnite Installer
Epic doesn't believe in giving "open platforms" 30 percent revenue
This could give the likes of PUBG Mobile a monopoly on Google Play

While Fortnite Android release date is yet to be announced, Epic Games has said it will be out this Summer. This week, there were rumours of Fortnite Android skipping the Google Play Store. Now, Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney has confirmed that Fortnite is not coming to the Google Play Store, instead it will be accessible via a client known as the Fortnite Installer. Reason being, the company doesn't believe in giving "open platforms" such as the Google Play Store 30 percent of Fortnite's revenue.

"First, Epic wants to have a direct relationship with our customers on all platforms where that’s possible. The great thing about the Internet and the digital revolution is that this is possible, now that physical storefronts and middlemen distributors are no longer required," Sweeney said in conversation with Touch Arcade. "Second, we’re motivated by economic efficiency. The 30 percent store tax is a high cost in a world where game developers’ 70 percent must cover all the cost of developing, operating, and supporting their games."

Fortnite's Android Release Delay Is PUBG Mobile's Gain

That said, Sweeney is fine with the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch taking 30 percent. "There’s a rationale for this on console where there’s enormous investment in hardware, often sold below cost, and marketing campaigns in broad partnership with publishers. But on open platforms, 30 percent is disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform, such as payment processing, download bandwidth, and customer service. We’re intimately familiar with these costs from our experience operating Fortnite as a direct-to-customer service on PC and Mac."

In addition to this, Sweeney commented on the Fortnite Android mobile list with "Fortnite will be coming to all Android devices that are capable of running it stably and with good performance. Stay tuned for details of the launch timing."

The Fortnite Installer is purely related to Fortnite and there are no plans to offer a full-fledged store. Though we find it hard to believe the company would keep its ambitions so limited. Epic is betting on Fortnite's popularity to allow it to overcome any hurdles users usually face in terms of installing APKs from third-party sources. It will be interesting to see how this situation evolves in the weeks to come as it means that for the short term, games like PUBG Mobile would have a monopoly of the Google Play Store.

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