Epic Games, the studio behind the wildly popular Fortnite series, has confirmed rumours that it will bypass the Google Play app store on Android devices.
Instead, Android users who want to play the game will have to download it directly to their device and allow the software special permissions.
Last week, rumours began that the studio had chosen to bypass the Google Play store because of the 30 per cent commission on revenue made through the app.
Epic Games’ chief executive Tim Sweeney has now confirmed that the 30 per cent charge was ‘disproportionate’ to the contribution Google made.
“30 per cent is disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform, such as payment processing, download bandwidth, and customer service,” he told The Verge.
Some security experts have raised concerns that the game’s young fan-base may be put at risk after learning how to give apps special permissions on their device.
Prediction. With #fortnite going around Google Playstore security and forcing young players to open Android permissions there will be a wave of new Android malware preying on those same users. (Want a cool skin? Download this APK now!). #security
— Vincent van Daal (@vvandaal) August 4, 2018
Interesting: Epic Games is going to make Fortnite for Android the the (probably) most popular Android app to *not* be on the Play Store and require installing the APK directly.
Could have real security implications as teens everywhere allow installations from “unknown sources”
— Udi Wertheimer ?? [#reckless] (@udiWertheimer) August 5, 2018
But Sweeney believes that better security on mobile devices, rather than a single safe source for apps, would answer these concerns.
“Most importantly, mobile operating systems increasingly provide robust, permissions-based security, enabling users to choose what each app is allowed to do: save files; access the microphone; access your contacts,” he said.
“In our view, this is the way all computer and smartphone platforms should provide security, rather than entrusting one monopoly app store as the arbiter of what software users are allowed to obtain.”
The Fortnite game, though free to play, makes its revenue from selling in-game add-ons. Epic Games reportedly made $126 million from the title in February of this year alone.