Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

‘Fortnite Battle Royale’ is coming to Android, but not the Google Play Store

By

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.

Recommended Videos

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.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Cody Perez
Cody Perez
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Cody is that stereotypical nerdy otaku guy. He loves everything Japanese from niche visual novels like 999 and Kara no Shoujo…
Google faces lawsuit over controversial Play Store change
Google Play Store on the OnePlus Nord 2.

Google has started requiring all Android apps sold in the Play Store that use in-app payments to use Google's Play Store billing system and nothing else -- or leave the store. This hasn't gone down well with the Match Group, creator of dating services including Tinder and the eponymous Match. The company is now suing Google over monopolistic and anti-competitive actions, alleging irreparable harm to Match's business and calling the move to remove its app a "death knell threat" to their business.

Google had previously allowed Match's apps, including Tinder, to opt out of using the Play Store's billing system, but the company has changed its mind in recent months. Rather, it will be requiring all apps in the Play Store which support in-app Payments to use Google's Play billing system without the option of a third-party payments processor. This will exclude apps that sell physical goods like Uber Eats and Amazon, but ensnare those which sell digital goods like Amazon's Audible and Kindle apps. For Match, which had previously been allowed to run its own payment system side-by-side with Google's, the move comes as a slap in the face.

Read more
Google Play Store helps find the apps invading your privacy
Instagram app on the Google Play Store on an Android smartphone.

Google has implemented a feature that requires app makers to disclose what data their apps are taking from users. Starting today, Android users will be able to see specific information about their apps' data collection through the Google Play Store. The data is accessible in the Play Store via the "Data Safety" tab listed in the information section for all apps.

With Google's announcement that the feature's rollout is live, the company notes that not all apps will be showing what privacy data they collect immediately. App makers have until July 20, 2022, to provide the Play Store with privacy information, making the feature something of a gradual rollout. It's likely that apps that take more types of data (like social media apps) will take longer to post the required info due to the sheer number of data points they collect when compared to something simpler such as an offline game.

Read more
Google ditches Play Movies app in favor of Google TV
aftermaster pro fixes tv movie audio issues man on couch watches a mobile phone

The Google TV app is taking over for Play Movies & TV across all Android devices. When Google TV was introduced in late 2020, its mission to replace Play Movies & TV seemed like a good idea as the preinstalled app wasn't doing a lot to take users' attention away from other streaming apps. Google TV's addition to the Android ecosystem has been pretty gradual up to this point, but now it's set to be an essential part of the Android experience.

Play Movies & TV will be officially retired as the face of Android's streaming content store in favor of Google TV starting in May. At that point, buying content on Play Movies & TV will no longer be supported in the Play Store, Google announced earlier this week. Google TV will take Play Movies & TV's place as the preinstalled streaming app included by default on every Android device at that point.

Read more