DIGITAL LIFE

It's official. 'Fortnite' will prevent Google store

Epic Games has confirmed that its hit game 'Fortnite' will not be available in the Android store, the Play Store. Instead, players of the Google operating system interested in the game will have to obtain it directly from the official website if their devices are compatible."Epic wants to have a direct relationship with our customers on all platforms where possible. The best of the internet and the digital revolution is that this is possible now that stores and distributors are no longer required, "said Tim Sweeney, managing director of The Verge.The reason for keeping 'Fortnite' out of the Play Store is also linked to the 30% fee charged by Google for each transaction made from an app. Given that 'Fortnite' is free and gets all the revenue from this type of transactions, there is no question that Google would be entitled to a large share of all purchases of players."The 30% rate is a high cost in a world where 70% of the game's producers have to cover the whole cost of developing, operating and supporting their games. There is a reason for this in consoles where there is a huge investment in hardware, sometimes sold below cost, and marketing campaigns in conjunction with publishers, "Sweeney explained.
While noting how the console market works, the CEO also pointed out that this is not the case in the Android ecosystem where "30% is disproportionate to the cost of the services these [virtual] stores play, such as payment processing, unloading bandwidth and customer service ".Despite this decision regarding the Android system, Epic Games had no choice with regard to Apple's iOS. Given that Cupertino technology does not allow the distribution of applications outside of its App Store, Epic Games has been forced to launch 'Fortnite' in the virtual store to reach users of iPhones.Sweeney seems confident in the success of the distribution of 'Fortnite' in Android, giving examples of games like 'League of Legends'. In addition, avoiding the Play Store will benefit Epic Games with regard to the Chinese market. "Since Google Play does not operate in China, the entire Chinese Android market is already ready for direct software sources like Tencent's WeChat or the Xiaomi Store," he says.

Samsung guarantees exclusive launch?
'Fortnite' still has no official launch date on Android but if avoiding the Play Store may spark controversy among users of the operating system, the possibility of the game being released as a Samsung exclusive can launch Epic Games in a real 'whirlwind' 'of criticism.Epic Games and Samsung have agreed the exclusivity of 'Fortnite' for a period that may be 120 days, in which case the game will only be available only to Samsung smartphones.The initial rumors pointed to an exclusivity period of only 30 days but apparently this period is only relative to the Galaxy Note 9. Once the new top of the range has been released, they will start counting the 30 days and, followed by 60 to 90 days of exclusivity for all holders of a compatible Galaxy S smartphone.To be true this means that 'Fortnite' would only be available for all Android smartphones in November or December. We will have to wait for the confirmation from Samsung and Epic Games, something that should happen already on August 9 in the official announcement of Galaxy Note 9.



Miguel Dias-NM