Epic Games bypassing Google Play store and offering Fortnite directly to Android

Following the news that Epic Games, the maker of the popular game Fortnite: Battle Royale, will not distribute the game via Google Play store when it becomes available on the Android platform later this summer, Lynnette Luna, Principal Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view on the issue:

“Google is the loser here as it misses out on revenue from the world’s most popular online shooting game. Since its release in September 2017, Fortnite is estimated to have earned more than $1bn in revenue from in-app purchases. The game is free to download and play; players only pay if they want to customize their avatar. This monetization model has helped Fortnite become incredibly popular; more than 125 million people have downloaded the game.

“While Epic’s move will put pressure on Google to lower its revenue cut, do not expect Epic’s move to create a domino effect for other Android developers. Fortnite has significant clout coming from the PC and gaming console world. Android users will actively seek out the game and willingly side load it, even if there are more security risks involved. Other developers—even large ones—need Google Play to help them gain exposure to Android users. The mobile market is still largely an app-driven economy.”