Fortnite Expands to Android, but Epic Skirts Google Play Store With Custom Installer

[DynaFXD]

Forked branches aside, Google develops and makes Android available to manufacturers virtually for free. They continue to develop it. This has created a massive market for software developers. That Epic has decided to skirt the Google store, and therefore take advantage of that market with no contribution to its continued development and support, sounds like the very definition of petty self interest. Almost analogous to high net-worth individuals and income taxes. The poor developers will pay the cost of freight so the Fortnites of the world can get it for free. Must be nice.

Disclaimer: Aside from, perhaps, devices with Android hiding under the hood, I own 0, zilch, nada Android devices and don't plan to add to them.

 

[BuffaloTF]

The day that Google does close Android down I feel like Google is threading on very sharp blade. The main factor between iOS and Android is how open it is. If that’s gone (together with rooting devices easily) will be the day the Google will lose out.

He's not wrong. The gulf between AOSP and branded Android has been massive and growing even further apart for years. It's the end-game they're working towards... just like with Chrome. Chromium is open-source, Chrome is the closed-source branded release they give out. It's less noticeable with that because, really, at the end of the day the browser still functions.... but that's the target.

 

[Janichsan]

The 30% store tax is a high cost in a world where game developersʼ 70% must cover all the cost of developing, operating, and supporting their games.

For a second, I would have almost been sympathetic with their plight – but then I remembered the game has made Epic more than $100 million on iOS alone, and more than one billion dollar in total spread over all supported platforms.

This is not one small, struggling developer having to cope with the insufferable injustice of having to share their revenue with the platform holders, this is pure, unadulterated greed.

 

[Thorndog]

No matter what I will not switch over to apple

 

[m0sher]

No matter what I will not switch over to apple

So you started an account on Macrumors just to let us know that?

There’s a lot of us on here that feel the same as you..... only in reverse. “Never trust a droid”. Mando

I just wouldn’t go on android central just to say so when I own an Apple phone. It’s Irrelevant.