Players have been waiting for the release for Android phones for five months in Fortnite. Since March, Fortnite has been playable on iOS devices. It is slowly becoming clear: There might not be any technical problems behind it, but rather hard business interests, believes our author Schuhmann.
Fortnite Mobile has been available on iOS for 5 months: Fortnite has been playable on iOS phones since March 13, 2018. The same version is also expected to come for Android phones.
But so far, players are still waiting for the start of the beta on Android smartphones. An official release date has only been announced as “summer”.
Why is the release taking so long?
The question: Why is it taking so long?
After all, Fortnite has even been developed for the Nintendo Switch. The development pace at Fortnite is legendary fast. They do everything on their own engine, which is why they are incredibly quick.
And Epic is missing out on a lot of money every day. On iOS, Fortnite is said to generate $200,000 a day. The same amount or more could also be made through Android phones for Fortnite. So why is it taking so long?
What does Epic say officially? Epic has not said much about the Android release in months.
The official explanation for the longer duration of the port was back in March 2018: Epic wants to ensure that Fortnite runs on a “variety” of Android devices. This was not necessary for iOS due to the standardized nature of Apple’s devices.
This sounded plausible for a long time, but doubts about this explanation are now arising.
Fortnite seems to be heavily about business on Android
Business interests: For years, gaming companies, especially from Asia, have been trying to establish mobile core gaming in the West.
Their goal is to sell their core mobile games in Europe and North America along with the corresponding hardware. Mobile gaming in the West differs massively from that in Korea and China:
- In Asia, games like Honour of Kings, Lineage M, or Lineage2Revolution have been hits for a long time. These are core gaming games with complex real-time gameplay mechanics.
- Here in the West, mobile gaming is mainly seen as “casual gaming”. Games like Candy Crush dominate the market here or more relaxed turn-based games. Most top games from Asia, like “Honour of Kings” (English: Arena of Valor), are hardly heard of in Europe or North America.
Even though these games came to the West in the last months with a lot of effort and star support, they couldn’t make a significant impact here. While they are absolute killer apps in China.
The situation: Samsung will present a “gaming phone” in a few days, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. It is expected to be revealed at an event on August 9.
But there is still a lack of acceptance for “mobile gaming” on phones in the West. To play Candy Crush, you don’t need a powerful gaming smartphone.
Here, Samsung seems to find Fortnite as the ideal entry ticket for the market. Because no game is currently bigger.
It already seems clear: Samsung will promise with the new phone that there will be no battery issues, that the controls and graphics will be great, that you can play complex games on the phone as well as on a PC.
Even a dedicated input device is rumored to be planned.
Fortnite as a carrier for mobile gaming in the West
Rumor: As several Android sites report, Epic is supposedly working with Samsung on a deal to link the gaming phone Samsung Galaxy Note 9 to the release of Fortnite on Android.
It is claimed that Fortnite is supposed to serve as a major “system seller” for the gaming phone. The game is expected to be pre-installed on the smartphone, Twitch star Ninja is supposed to appear as a brand ambassador, and there are bonuses in Fortnite currency when purchasing the phone.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is expected to be presented on August 9. Then we will find out if there is any truth to the rumors.
Particularly juicy: Fortnite is allegedly said to be playable exclusively on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for 30 days on Android devices.
Deal could bring maximum profit
That explains everything: If this rumor is true, it would explain why Epic takes 5 months to bring Fortnite to Android and misses out on all that money in the process.
Because the release of the Samsung premium phone is apparently the right time to reap maximum financial benefits from the Fortnite Android release.
This is also supported by recent developments: Epic will bypass the Google Play Store during the release on Android and offer the game for direct download. They believe that the 30% that Google wants from the revenues is not justified by their performance.
It has even been added: If it was possible on iOS, they would have bypassed the Apple Store with Fortnite on iOS.
The secrecy is bothersome here
Is that reprehensible? It is hard to blame Epic for wanting to make money – even though they are already making a lot.
However, withholding the actual reasons for the delay from players for months seems at least dishonest. This could tarnish Epic’s otherwise good reputation. They are currently known for communicating excellently with the Fortnite community.
But the information about the Samsung deal is still just speculation and rumors.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is expected to be presented on August 9. Then we will find out if there is any truth to the rumors.
