Epic Games has released a press release announcing that it is "pausing" its massively popular online multiplayer game, Fortnite, from appearing in the Google Play store. Instead, the developer plans to distribute the app exclusively through the official Fortnite site, which currently has thousands of players logging in daily to play the new game. Users who would rather not play Fortnite via Google Play will have to download the app through the official site and then transfer the downloaded file to their phone's storage device for the Fortnite application to run.
This move comes after many major gaming companies like Zynga, Microsoft and PlayStations announced they would cease their promotion of free versions of their games on Google Play. This was because Google was said to be abusing its monopoly in the mobile market by selling free versions of its own games. The company is now offering a free version of its games on other platforms including its own YouTube. Although it is true that Android is one of the fastest growing smartphone platforms in the world, it appears that Google is trying to create a more open platform in order to capture the smartphone market.
In a related development, developers on Reddit's Android community are claiming that they have obtained Fortnite apps from the official site and are running them on their phones. This means that the developer, who would typically require you to download the app onto your phone before it runs, will be able to make the app available to users worldwide through an online server. However, this means that you would be required to sign up as a paid member in order to get the applications. It remains to be seen whether this system will be effective or if it will be effective only for games that require paid memberships.
