Google is set to miss out on over $50 million in revenue as a result of Epic Games’ decision not to launch Fortnite: Battle Royale for Android on Google Play.
The Android version of Fortnite: Battle Royale is now available to play for all supported devices running Google’s operating system.
However, unlike most Android apps and games which are available through the Google Play Store, Epic Games has decided that Android users will need to grab the game through their own website instead of through Google’s own marketplace.
This decision could result in Google losing out on a substantial amount of revenue. Google takes a 30% cut from any revenue apps generated on its platform. Since launching on iOS devices, Fortnite has generated over $180 million through in-app purchases. It’s expected that Fornite: Battle Royale on Android would make a similar amount of money. If so, Google’s 30% cut would have resulted in them earning $54 million between now and the end of 2018.
With Fortnite: Battle Royale not being available through the Google Play Store, it is unclear whether or not the decision will negatively impact download figures, resulting in less revenue being generated than if the game had launched through Google Play.
The decision by Epic Games has been criticised by some who have cited possible security concerns with downloading apps from the internet rather than through secure and vetted app marketplaces such as the Google Play Store.