For more, read on.Īccording to App Annie’s dataset published on eMarketer, third-party app stores well exceed downloads on the App Store, and are set to double within the next three years. So, what could happen? We’ll take a look at the potential outcomes based on current data, and look at the real issues that could affect the release. Whether this tactic will prove successful remains to be seen, and there are a number of challenges that Epic Games could face - including the difficulty in bridging the gap between desktop, web and app, and by encouraging players to deviate from their normal behavior. For every purchase, Google and Apple take a cut in return for distribution - a stake which, it seems, Epic wasn’t willing to lose. The free-to-play title generates revenue through in-app purchases, namely its ‘Battle Pass’ system, and the ability to shop for cosmetic skins for characters and weapons.
The reason? 30% in lost profit for every transaction - or, in total, a projected $54m - if Fortnite were to launch on the Play Store.
The game currently serves over 125 million players (and growing), and while it does appear on the App Store, the decision by Epic Games has turned it into its own third-party distributor.
But could it become one of the most influential distributors too?Įpic Games, the company that develops Fortnite, announced that the shooter would not appear on Google’s Play Store, but would be distributed on its own website, sidestepping the typical route of releasing on official platforms - at least on Android devices. Fortnite is the biggest game on the planet.