Has Fortnite Pulled Off an Epic Move by Skipping Google Play?

Fortnite is this year's Pokemon Go in terms of how it's captured everyone's interest around the world. The Fortnite vs PUBG Mobile debate may go on till the end of time, but it's safe to say that both these games have brought the battle royale genre to the spotlight and have their own pros and cons. While Fortnite is available on more consoles, PUBG has the lion's share of the market on smartphones. That is, until Fortnite Android is released. The latest announcement is very controversial, as Epic Games' Tim Sweeney confirmed that Fortnite will not be available via Google Play. This is a move that could backfire spectacularly but it could also be a masterstroke. Games editor Rishi Alwani and friend of the podcast Mikhail Madnani join host Pranay Parab to discuss.

While PUBG Mobile is officially available on Google Play, which means that you don't have to make unsafe searches such as "PUBG mobile apk download", that game suffers a bit because the experience is not the same on consoles versus mobiles. Surprisingly enough the mobile version feels more polished. Fortnite, on the other hand, offers a more consistent experience across platforms, but its Android release is yet to come. The world's largest platform for games, Android, remains absent from Epic Games' list of supported platforms, but that could change soon with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9. Fortnite could be a timed exclusive for Samsung, and may even be planning to launch in China via third-party app stores. This leads us to the debate around whether Google Play is the perfect platform for games to make money on Android. Epic Games' views may be controversial, but the fact of the matter is that the game is popular enough to try a move like this, and it remains to be seen whether it succeeds. This includes Persona 5, Pocket City, Overcooked 2, Okami HD, Octopath Traveller, Salt and Sanctuary, Call of Duty Black Ops 4, and South Park The Fractured But Whole: Bring the Crunch DLC.

You can subscribe to Transition via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download this episode,or just listen to it by hitting the play button below. The music for this episode comes via Magnus Souleye Pålsson's album PPPPPP, which is the soundtrack for the game, VVVVVV.