After Apple’s recent ban on Fortnite that takes down the game from App Store, Google has also done the same with the game on its Play Store. Just recently, Epic Games has released an updated version available for both Apple and Android devices. The update contains a new feature that offers players purchases which will be handled by Epic themselves instead of going through the two platforms above, but why we can't get a Fortnite Play Store link any longer?
When the game was removed from Apple’s App Store, Epic expressed a severe attitude and decided to sue Apple for that move. But now, it seems like Google also sets its foot in as they demand that every in-app purchase must be done by the Google Play system. In terms of rules about in-app purchases, Google is considered to be less strict than Apple, but the restrictions for games are there.
Google specifically requires all payments within games downloaded from Google Play to be done using Google Play In-app Billing. Also, there is a 30% cut from Google, just like what Apple implemented.
The latest update from Epic Games obviously offended that rule, which makes it easier for Google to come to the decision of banning Fortnite, despite being a bit less decisive than Apple. Here's what Google said in their statement:
"The open Android ecosystem lets developers distribute apps through multiple app stores. For game developers who choose to use the Play Store, we have consistent policies that are fair to developers and keep the store safe for users. While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies. However, we welcome the opportunity to continue our discussions with Epic and bring Fortnite back to Google Play."
According to The Verge, a Google spokesperson mentioned the necessity of Google Play’s rules being equal to every developer as it is an open system for various stores, and that the Play Store is fine with other stores as well as Epic releasing its game on it.
After all, Android users can still download Fortnite on their devices. They can choose to do that from the Epic Games app or the Samsung Galaxy Store. However, for iOS devices, if you don’t already have Fortnite on your iPhone or iPad, there are no chances that you can download the game from their App Store.
The Play Store rule mentioned above created an argument between Google and Epic Games. Epic then decided to withdraw Fortnite from the Google Play Store and manage the game on their own. This is only doable because of Android’s permission of uploading and installing from third-party sources, which is considered to be quite risky as there will be pop-up security warnings each time you do that action.
Nearly two years later, Fortnite came back to the Google Play Store, along with some unpleasant statements from Epic Games in April 2020.
"Google puts software downloadable outside of Google Play at a disadvantage, through technical and business measures such as scary, repetitive security pop-ups for downloaded and updated software, restrictive manufacturer and carrier agreements and dealings, Google public relations characterizing third party software sources as malware, and new efforts such as Google Play Protect to outright block software obtained outside the Google Play Store."
With its popularity, if Fortnite becomes available to download from other stores, it will possibly take away some of the attention that the Google Play Store is currently having, and will also create a usage division between stores. Samsung is also making progress in completing its Samsung Galaxy Store in order to compete with other Android app stores. However, the influence of the Google Play Store on most Android users is still at a much wider range compared to other stores.
Epic Games is now focusing on advertising the discount that users will receive once they download the game from Samsung Galaxy Store. To be more specific, the discount is up to 20% off applied to V-Bucks and real-money offers on the official site of the Epic Games app and the Samsung Galaxy Store.
It will be more likely that users will begin to shift their focus on other app installs once Epic Games is successfully able to make them try other services rather than looking for a Fortnite Play Store link. You can also see the offer of downloading some important apps from Samsung’s store if you own one of the recent Samsung Galaxy phones. This is the potential to create a war of marketing between Android app stores in near future.
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