Yesterday, Epic Games’ popular battle royale game Fortnite was kicked out of their respective app stores by Google and Apple. This decision comes after the developer violated Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store guidelines. However, Fortnite is still available to download on select Samsung smartphones through the Galaxy Store.
Since Android supports the side-loading of apps, users can use the Epic Games app to download and install Fortnite on their smartphones.
Fortnite is still downloadable on select Samsung Galaxy smartphones
According to Gizmodo, the Epic Games app is currently showing up in the Galaxy Store only on Galaxy S20 lineup. Samsung is also said to have confirmed that the app will be available on Galaxy Note 20 devices by the time they go on sale.
While the Epic Games app will be listed on the Galaxy Store, there is no mention of the availability of Fortnite. The Fortnite app comes in around 8.25GB in size and requires powerful hardware for a seamless experience.
Hence, not all Samsung Galaxy smartphones support the game. Samsung also partnered with Epic Games on quite a few occasions to offer exclusive in-game content for Galaxy smartphone users. When Fortnite arrived on Android in mid-2018, the game was initially exclusive to Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
With the app no longer listed on the Play Store anymore, the company will continue to use its own payment solution to sell the V-Bucks within the app. The app is currently showing “the product does not exist in this store” error when trying to purchase in-app content.
It now offers up to 20% discount on V-Bucks
Earlier yesterday, Epic Games bypassed the Play Store’s review process and added its own payment service. Since the company doesn’t need to pay a 30 percent app tax to Google, it passed on those benefits to its users by offering up to a 20 percent discount on purchasing V-Bucks.
Unlike Apple, Google allows its Android users to use third-party app stores for downloading apps. Epic Games also filed a lawsuit against Google over alleged anti-competitive practices.
It mentioned that the restrictions on the in-app payment (IAP) system are in violation of both the Sherman Act and California’s Cartwright Act. The company also filed a similar lawsuit against Apple. While Spotify is publicly supporting Epic Games’ lawsuit, more companies should be coming out soon.
The Fortnite developer also released a parody video of Apple’s famous 1984 TV commercial. It used the “Don’t Be Evil” mantra to mock the search-giant.