Fortnite Android beta: Big download news for mobile release

Having been surrounded by rumours and reports regarding its full release, Epic Games’ latest Battle Royale port has started to roll out.

The game that champions crossplay and account sharing is in the middle of being launched on one of the biggest mobile platforms in the world.

And with the Fortnite Android beta reaching more and more players, it’s also being treated very differently to the earlier iOS release on Apple devices.

Epic Games has decided to launch Fortnite on Android away from the Google Play Store.

But even though it can’t be downloaded directly from the usual Android source, the Play Store does explain to players about the difference in the arrangement.

Google is currently warning players that you cannot find the popular game on the Play Store.

Those who search for it have found notices pop up that state “Fortnite Battle Royal by Epic Games, Inc is not available on Google Play.”

This clarification is in place to make sure that everyone knows Fortnite Battle Royale can only be found on Android through the current Fortnite beta.

This also should stop hopeful players downloading bogus apps from the Play Store, which look to mimic the Fortnite application.

Players can sign up for the Fortnite Android beta now, although the first mobile devices to get access are Samsungs.

This is slowly being expanded, with users of other devices starting to see invitation options appear in their inboxes.

When it comes to what phones will be able to play Fortnite, this list will, unfortunately, be limited to relatively new hardware.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and up will be compatible, as well as Google’s Pixel devices, the Razer phone and other mobile phones from ZTE, ASUS, Huawei, Nokia, LG, OnePlus and Xiaomi.

For those with a Samsung Galaxy phone, it’s possible to head over to the Epic Games website and sign up for a Fortnite beta right now.

This will include being able to install the game directly, or through the Galaxy app store.

The installation process can take a while and can use over 1GB in data.

Devices the Android Beta will be playable on:

• Samsung Galaxy: S7 / S7 Edge, S8 / S8+, S9 / S9+, Note 8, Note 9, Tab S3, Tab S4
• Google: Pixel / Pixel XL, Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL
• Asus: ROG Phone, Zenfone 4 Pro, 5Z, V
• Essential: PH-1
• Huawei: Honor 10, Honor Play, Mate 10 / Pro, Mate RS, Nova 3, P20 / Pro, V10
• LG: G5, G6, G7 ThinQ, V20, V30 / V30+
• Nokia: 8
• OnePlus: 5 / 5T, 6
• Razer: Phone
• Xiaomi: Blackshark, Mi 5 / 5S / 5S Plus, 6 / 6 Plus, Mi 8 / 8 Explorer / 8SE, Mi Mix, Mi Mix 2, Mi Mix 2S, Mi Note 2
• ZTE: Axon 7 / 7s, Axon M, Nubia / Z17 / Z17s, Nubia Z11

Recent reports have suggested that Epic Games’ decision to bypass the Play Store may mean a big missed opportunity for Google.

Sensor Tower believes the revenue will be in the millions, which is not surprising for a game that has become a worldwide hit.

“With the Android launch finally upon us, we project that, based on Sensor Tower Store Intelligence data, Google stands to miss out on at least $ 50 million in platform fees during the remainder of 2018 due to this unprecedented decision,” the Sensor Tower report explains.

“Fortnite has grossed more than $ 180 million so far on iOS devices, where it has been available exclusively since launching March 15 in an invite-only beta that later expanded to all App Store users.

“Sensor Tower estimates that Apple has made more than $ 54 million from the game so far via its 30 per cent cut of all in-app spending on its store.

“We expect that once Fortnite rolls out to the full complement of supported Android devices, its launch revenue on the platform will closely resemble the first several months of App Store player spending.

“There is a chance that it will even surpass what we’ve witnessed thus far, based on factors such as the game’s increasing popularity, the growing impact of each new season’s Battle Pass on revenue (these release every 10 weeks), and the potential for players in countries where both Google Play and the iOS version are not available to directly download the APK and spend in the game.

“There is some concern that by circumventing Google Play, Epic may potentially make it more challenging for users to install Fortnite on devices running older Android versions, where side loading of apps isn’t as straightforward as in more recent releases.

“We expect this to have some impact on downloads of the game, but not to a large enough degree as to affect its revenue potential in the long run.”