The wildly-popularFortnitehas released on the majority of modern handheld and console gaming systems, including mobile devices, with the exception of Android. Now news is brewing thatFortnitemay finally be on its way to Android users, but with device exclusivity for the first month.
The source, speaking to 9 to 5 Google, explained that the Android release ofFortniteis set to be a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 exclusive for the first 30 days after it drops. The Galaxy Note 9 is currently slated to have an ‘Unpacked’ event on August 9th, with pre-orders and shipments of the device presumably occurring soon after. This likely means that all other Android users won’t be able toaccessFortniteuntil at least late September.
The source also claimed that Galaxy Note 9 players will also receive $100-150 worth inFortnite’s V-Bucks if they pre-order the phone, though it’s unclear if there is a range or if Epic Games and Samsung haven’t yet decided on the exact number to award early adopters just yet. This may help Epic Games to land even more new players for the title and encourage them to spend real money, further bolsteringFortnite’s $2 million a day in revenue.
Console exclusives are nothing new to gamers, but pairing a wildly mobile game with the release of a brand new phone that’s estimated to cost over $1,000 is unusual, to say the least. Most gamers probably won’t spring to spend that much on a new phone just to playFortnite, but Samsung may nonetheless net a few gamers who were already shopping for a phone and needed one last nudge in its direction.
While the news might be discouraging to Android users, it’s not the first time that they’ve had to wait for a popular mobile game.Pokemon GOrolled out in stages to different locations, andFallout: Shelterhad a two month gap between the iPhone and Android releases. While these waits frustrated gamers, they didn’t stop the games from becoming smash hits on the Google Play Store, andFortniteis likely to follow suit.
Fortniteis available now for iOS, PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Source:9 to 5 Google
