Newsletter 
Google updated the Play Store with a no-Fortnite-here warning at some point in the last 24 hours, presumably so as to lower the chances of users being tricked into installing what they presume is Epic Games’ battle royale hit. The move comes shortly after the Android version of Fortnite launched in open beta for select Galaxy smartphones and tablets, with the game being announced as a timed Samsung exclusive that isn’t expected to become available on other Android handsets until the final quarter of the year.
Ever since Fortnite was announced for Android this spring, malware-infested APKs purporting to be installers for the game started circulating the web and knock-off titles have been populating the Play Store ever since. Epic announced its decision to circumvent the world’s largest app marketplace with its popular game earlier this month, having stated that the move was largely made in response to the 30-percent cut Google takes from all microtransaction revenues as the developer-publisher deemed that percentage too high. Additionally, Epic said it wanted to offer Fortnite directly to Android gamers so as to be closer to its community, albeit without elaborating on the matter. The first beta build of Fortnite for Android is the port of version 5.20 and allows players to jump into the fifth season of the battle royale phenomenon. The lightweight installer for Fortnite is available directly from Epic’s website and Samsung‘s Galaxy Apps storefront, whereas the necessary game files are over 1.8GB in size.
Samsung is already aggressively promoting its temporary gaming exclusive which is compatible with all of its flagships released since early 2016, i.e. devices as old as the Galaxy S7 series. The Android beta is capped at a maximum of 30fps and still has some performance issues, as is expected from an experimental build of the game. Fortnite players who purchase either the Galaxy Note 9 or Galaxy Tab S4 — both of which were announced this month — will also receive a unique in-game character skin and possibly some other goodies, depending on where they’re located.
