Fortnite For Android Will Be Supported On These Smartphones
Every since Epic Games ported Fortnite to Apple's iOS platform, many mobile gamers have been wondering when the popular battle royale shooter will arrive on Android, and which specific devices will be supported. We still do not have an exact release date, but we do have a list of compatible Android phones, the first of which is Samsung's Galaxy Note 9.
Rumor has it Epic Games is giving Samsung and its Galaxy Note 9 handset an exclusive launch on Android. For the first 30 days, that will be the only Android handset to support Fortnite Mobile. After that, Epic Games will open up available to a whole bunch of other phones. Epic Games has revealed which ones on its website and there are several dozen models listed.
They include handsets from Google, Huawei, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Razer, Samsung, and Sony. Here is the full list:
- Google: Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL
- Huawei: Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, Mate 10 Lite Mate 9, Mate 9 Pro, Mate P 10, P10 Plus, P10 Lite, P9, P9 Lite, P8 Lite 2017
- LG: G6, V30, V30 Plus
- Motorola: Moto E4 Plus, Moto G5, Moto G5 Plus, Moto G5, Z2 Play
- Nokia: Nokia 6
- Razer: Razer Phone
- Samsung: Galaxy A5 2017, Galaxy A7 2017, Galaxy J7 Prime 2017, Galaxy J7 Pro 2017, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy On7 2017, Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge
- Sony: Xperia XA1, Xperia XA1 Ultra, Xperia XA1 Plus, Xperia XZ, Xperia XZs, Xperia XZ1
There are some curious omissions from the list, notably phones like Huawei's P20 series, the LG G7, the OnePlus lineup Xiaomi brand phones, and HTC's entire catalog. Some of Sony's more recent flagship phones are absent from the list as well. However, Epic Games does list a catch-all "Android Other" category in its list of supported Android handsets, so we are not ready to rule those devices out.
An interesting side note to all this is that Epic Games might skip releasing Fortnite in Google's Play Store. Combing through the code, XDA Developers noted references to disabling permissions "necessary to install any app outside of the Play," along with downloading and installing Fortnite through a web browser.
Why shun the Play Store when there are so many Android users that have access to it? If Epic Games goes that route, it will undoubtedly have been motivated by the 30 percent cut of sales that Google takes from apps in the Play Store.
There has never been a free-to-play title that has generated more revenue than Fortnite. In June, Epic Games said Fortnite had grown to 125 million players in less than a year, and according to SuperData Research, it has raked in over $1 billion. That could be just the tip of the iceberg, too.
Source: SuperData Research
"Battle royale revenue will grow 652 percent between 2017 and 2018 as AAA titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Battlefield V enter the market," SuperData Research . "Games industry stakeholders need to prepare, adapt, and cater to an audience that expect meaningful battle royale experiences from their multiplayer shooters."
That is a lot of money, obviously, and Epic Games might not be so keen on sharing a huge chunk with Google. At the same time, there is value in making Fortnite easy to access, along with the inevitable promotion that comes with being featured in the Play Store.
