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Citing 'Economic Efficiency,' Epic Says Fortnite's Upcoming Android App Won't Hit Google Play Store (theverge.com)
Fortnite developer Epic Games will not be distributing its massively popular game on Android because the Play Store takes a 30 percent cut of the revenue. Instead, the company plans to distribute the software to players via the official Fornite website, "where Android users can download a Fortnite Installer program to install the game on compatible devices," reports The Verge. From the report: For Fortnite on iOS, Epic decided to distribute the game on the App Store, most likely because it had no other method of getting iPhone users to easily download the software. (Apple, unlike Google, does not allow iOS users to download apps that are not first approved by its internal review processes and distributed through its proprietary marketplace.) With Google and its more open platform, Epic can get away with distributing the app itself. CEO Tim Sweeney says the primary motivation here is twofold. Epic wants to maintain its direct relationship with consumers. (The company currently distributes Fortnite on PC through its own Epic Games Launcher, instead of using Valve's popular Steam platform.)
The second reason is financial: Epic does not want to pay Google's 30 percent cut, especially considering the entire game is funded through in-app purchases. "The 30 percent store tax is a high cost in a world where game developers' 70 percent must cover all the cost of developing, operating, and supporting their games," Sweeney says. "There's a rationale for this on console where there's enormous investment in hardware, often sold below cost, and marketing campaigns in broad partnership with publishers." But on mobile platforms that are open, like Android, "30 percent is disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform, such as payment processing, download bandwidth, and customer service," he says. Sweeney adds that Epic is "intimately familiar with these costs" from its direct distribution of Fortnite on Mac and PC. There's no word as to when the Android version of Fortnite will be available, but rumors suggest it will be tied to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 9 launch on August 9th.
The second reason is financial: Epic does not want to pay Google's 30 percent cut, especially considering the entire game is funded through in-app purchases. "The 30 percent store tax is a high cost in a world where game developers' 70 percent must cover all the cost of developing, operating, and supporting their games," Sweeney says. "There's a rationale for this on console where there's enormous investment in hardware, often sold below cost, and marketing campaigns in broad partnership with publishers." But on mobile platforms that are open, like Android, "30 percent is disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform, such as payment processing, download bandwidth, and customer service," he says. Sweeney adds that Epic is "intimately familiar with these costs" from its direct distribution of Fortnite on Mac and PC. There's no word as to when the Android version of Fortnite will be available, but rumors suggest it will be tied to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 9 launch on August 9th.
Excellent example of how the insane greed of the corporate cancers is bad for the human peasants caught in the crossfire. Encouraging people to download software from even less secure sites is NOT a win even if one of the corporate cancers is able to get a bit more profit.
NOT to suggest that the Google Play website properly vets the security of the apps, but it's better than nothing. Now there will be a YUGE number of potential victims who know about getting what they think they want by bypassing the Google's pretenses of security. The best solution approach would actually be a public display of the developers' financial models, but something about the EVIL of the google has clearly blinded them to the obvious.
On the bigger religious problem, "There is no gawd but profit, and Apple is gawd's #1 prophet", I think the best solution approach would be a pro-freedom anti-greedom tax system. Just dreaming of pie in the sky since the politicians are bought and paid for by the corporate cancers that mindlessly worship profit. Truly mindlessly, since they remain inhuman monstrous cancers no matter what Judge Kavanaugh thinks.
Time's up, but ADSAuPR, atAJG.
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
Mostly I think you failed to understand my point, but I am quite willing to accept your premise that the Fortnite website itself is as secure as the Google Play website. It does NOT change my point unless you insist that EVERY website with apps to be downloaded is secure.
However, I disagree with you regarding your claim that Fortnite has no malware. Absence of evidence is not proof of absence. You can't prove any negative.
I also note that you ignored the more serious problems mentioned by my comment nor did you offer any trace of a solution for anything. Oh, wait. Just par for today's Slashdot. Mostly I miss the wit and humor that used to be found in the odd corners of Slashdot.
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.