Fortnite Battle Royale is officially coming to Android devices everywhere, but not necessarily in the way that many would have expected. The globally popular video game will not be coming to Android smartphones on the Google Play Store. Developer Epic Games has decided to bypass Google’s proprietary app store in favor of distributing the game through its own website.
Reports originally began to pop up that Fortnite Battle Royale wouldn’t be available through the Google Play Store when XDA sifted through the source of the Epic Games’ mobile website to discover instructions on how to download and install the mobile game on an Android smartphone. The directions note that players will need to install it as a third-party app, and not through the official store.
Those reports have since been confirmed to be true by Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney himself. Sweeney posted a lengthy FAQ exclusively on Eurogamer, explaining everything that fans need to know about Fortnite Battle Royale on Android. The reasoning behind this surprising decision is simple; Epic Games is opting out of using the Google Play Store to distribute the Android version in order to retain profits.
Epic Games is straightforward and honest in the FAQ, revealing that the 30 percent revenue share that Google requires for all in-app purchases is the deciding factor. According to Sweeney, that 30 percent cut is a high cost when the developer’s remaining 70 percent “must cover all the cost of developing, operating, and supporting their games.”
If you are looking forward to playing Fortnite Battle Royale on your Android device, you will need to go through a few extra hoops compared to other mobile games when it releases. Players will need to use the official Epic Games website on their phone to download the installer directly. This will require Android users to make sure that their settings are changed in order to allow the installation of third-party apps.
Epic Games’ decision to handle the release of Fortnite Battle Royale on Android does bring with it some concern. This could introduce younger players to installing third-party apps, and leave them more susceptible to installing malware and/or fake versions of the app.
An exact release date has yet to be given for the Android version. Fortnite Battle Royale is currently available to download for free on PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PC, Mac, and iOS.
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