We know that Fortnite will be making its way onto Android this summer, but Epic has been somewhat mum on when and how they are planning on doing that. This has since led to rumors and speculation about its release, where we have heard that the game could actually launch as a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 exclusive for a month.
Now according to the latest speculation, it seems that Fortnite might skip launching on the Google Play Store entirely. This is actually a big deal since pretty much all Android apps launch via the Play Store, but a report from XDA has found some code on Epic’s website that seem to be a set of instructions for Android users on how to download and install the app that seems to bypass going through the Play Store.
So why would Epic want to bypass the Play Store? Assuming this is true, one of the main reasons we can imagine is money. Companies such as Apple and Google generally take a cut from apps sold and also in-app purchases and subscriptions. So by bypassing the Play Store, Epic can save themselves from having to give Google more money.
It has been reported that the iOS version of Fortnite is pulling in $2 million a day, so imagine how much goes to Apple in terms of a cut. We imagine that if Epic could they would want to bypass the iOS App Store as well, but since Apple is more strict when it comes to non-App Store installs, that would be difficult.
In any case take it with a grain of salt for now and we’ll just have to wait for the game’s launch to find out.
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