- The biggest game in the world, “Fortnite,” still hasn’t arrived on the world’s biggest mobile platform: Android.
- It’s scheduled to launch on Android this summer, but there’s no solid release date.
- The latest rumors point to the game being exclusive to Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 9 smartphone when the phone arrives in late August, with wide availability a month later.
The good news is that “Fortnite” is finally coming to Android. Its maker, Epic Games, says the Android version will arrive “this summer.”
The bad news: It may be exclusive to a brand-new Samsung phone for its first month.
That’s according to a recent report on XDA Developers, which says “Fortnite” will launch on Android on August 24 — exclusive to Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 9 for its first month.
If accurate, that puts a wider Android launch on track for late September.
It would also be a huge get for Samsung.
The announcement is expected on August 9, the same day of Samsung’s Unpacked event in New York City. Samsung has already teased the event, with all signs pointing to an unveiling of the latest Galaxy Note smartphone.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note line is known for pioneering large format smartphone design — so-called “phablets” — and for including a stylus. It appears that, with the Galaxy Note 9, Samsung may be aiming for a gaming audience.
According to 9to5Google, anyone who orders a Galaxy Note 9 will get somewhere in the range of $100 to $150 worth of in-game cash (“V-bucks”) for use in “Fortnite.” Hit “Fortnite” streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is even rumored to make an appearance at the phone’s unveiling.
After its first month of availability, when “Fortnite” is playable on more than one type of Android phone, the game may skip Google’s ubiquitous Play Store. Instead, you’d download the game directly from the web.
If it sounds weird, that’s because it’s a little weird — most games and apps on Android are available in the Google Play Store. Skipping the Play Store is simply a means of Epic Games getting around paying Google a cut of its profits from “Fortnite” — something that’s become more meaningful than ever considering how much money is being made through “Fortnite” on just iOS.
Reports estimate that Epic Games’ free-to-play shooter Fortnite racks up millions of dollars per day, and that number may continue to grow with the game’s promised expansion to Android devices. Rumors have begun to heat up about exactly when Android players will get to play, but one interesting tidbit has already escaped from Epic’s servers: how they’ll play the game.
Wording hidden in the source code of “Fortnite Mobile’s” web page suggests fans will have to download and install the game via a web browser, according to XDA Developers. After that, the game will reportedly ask people for some security permissions it states are necessary “to install any app outside of the Play Store.”
Right now, people who want to download “Fortnite” on iOS from the Epic Games site are redirected to the App Store. If the game is being offered on Android via the Google Play Store, it’s odd that the setup process isn’t the same.
But, not offering “Fortnite” on Google Play also makes some sense. The PC version is not on Steam, the largest digital distributor of PC titles. It’s not on other popular digital games retailers like GOG.com or Green Man Gaming. It’s only available via Epic’s website. These retailers have large audiences and normally help a game’s visibility, but “Fortnite” doesn’t really need assistance. It currently has over 125 million players across multiple platforms and has made over $1 billion in revenue in the last year. But, Epic loses about 30% of its profits on iOS thanks to Apple’s App Store rules, XDA Developers said. By keeping “Fortnite” off Google Play, the Epic can keep all of the profits from in-app purchases.