It was reported towards the end of last month, that Epic Games would go with an unconventional distribution method for its release of Fortnite on Android. Now, Epic Games has confirmed this, officially announcing plans to offer the game through its own official website.
When the solution goes live, Epic Games will offer an app that will install the game on compatible Android devices. This is quite a bold move, considering that most companies rely on Google's Play Store for distribution. According to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, there are two reasons for this move, the first being that it wants to maintain a direct relationship with consumers, the second is purely motivated by the money, specifically, impacts to revenue.
Although the Play Store can shine more light on and give users instant access to apps, there's a dark side to it, as Google takes a 30 percent cut of the profit made from each download or in-game purchase. This is a huge chunk for anyone, whether you're a small developer or someone large like Epic Games.
Sweeney went in detail with The Verge, stating that:
“The 30 percent store tax is a high cost in a world where game developers’ 70 percent must cover all the cost of developing, operating, and supporting their games. There’s a rationale for this on console where there’s enormous investment in hardware, often sold below cost, and marketing campaigns in broad partnership with publishers. 30 percent is disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform, such as payment processing, download bandwidth, and customer service.”
While Android users will have to wait just a while longer for the game, iOS users have been playing it since April. There have also been recent rumors that the game would be temporarily exclusive to Samsung's unannounced Galaxy Note9. Whatever might happen, just be sure to exercise patience, as there are some fake versions of the game floating about, ready to take advantage.
Source: The Verge
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