Epic Games Breaks Tradition by Skipping Google Play for Fortnite on Android
Epic Games has announced that the Android release of their highly popular game, Fortnite, will not be available through the Google Play Store. Instead, players will have to download the game through an installer on Epic’s website. This decision by Epic’s founder, Tim Sweeney, was explained in an interview with Eurogamer.
Direct Access to Customers: Epic’s Goal
Sweeney stated, “Epic’s goal is to bring its games directly to customers. We believe gamers will benefit from competition among software sources on Android. Competition among services gives consumers lots of great choices and enables the best to succeed based on merit.”
The Disproportionate Store Tax
Epic believes that the 30 percent store tax collected by Google is unwarranted given the minimal involvement it has with the game. According to Sweeney, “It’s a high cost in a world where game developers’ 70 percent must cover all the cost of developing, operating, and supporting their games. And it’s disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform, such as payment processing, download bandwidth, and customer service.”
Android: An Open Platform for Distribution
Android, like PC and Mac, offers an open platform for distribution. This is in contrast to Apple’s iOS ecosystem, which requires developers to use the iTunes App Store for distribution. Sweeney compares Apple’s approach to that of consoles, where distribution is limited to platforms like the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live store.
The release of Fortnite on Android is scheduled for this summer. While there are an estimated 2.5 billion Android devices worldwide, only 250 million are considered “Fortnite-ready” due to the game’s technical requirements.