Fortnite for Android will ditch Google Play Store for Epic’s website

guest · Aug 3, 2018

Fortnite for Android will ditch Google Play Store for Epic’s website
Epic Games CEO cites ‘economic efficiency’ of bypassing Play Store’s 30 percent cut
August 03, 2018
https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/3/1...nite-android-version-bypass-google-play-store

Epic Games announced today that it will not distribute its massively popular game Fortnite on Android through Google’s Play Store marketplace. Instead, the company plans to directly distribute the software to players through the official Fortnite website, where Android users can download a Fortnite Installer program to install the game on compatible devices.

“The great thing about the Internet and the digital revolution is that this is possible, now that physical storefronts and middlemen distributors are no longer required.”

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.

Reasonably, there are some concerns about how exactly this will work, and whether it opens up Android users to any potential security or data privacy risks since running third-party software outside the Play Store involves removing certain protections on Android devices. Sweeney says he doesn’t see security as a big issue here.
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chrisretusn · Aug 4, 2018

Not much different than getting a PC game. I never realized that Goggle takes that much of a cut, seem a bit steep.

guest · Aug 10, 2018

Google will lose $50 million or more in 2018 from Fortnite bypassing the Play Store
August 10, 2018
https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/10/g...-more-from-fortnite-bypassing-the-play-store/

Most apps and games don’t have the luxury of making this choice – the built-in distribution Google Play offers is critical to their business. But Epic Games believes its game is popular enough and has a strong enough draw to bring players to its website for the Android download instead. In the process, it’s costing Google around $50 million this year in platform fees, according to a new report.

As of its Android launch date, Fortnite had grossed over $180 million on iOS devices, where it had been exclusively available since launching as an invite-only beta on March 15th, before later expanding to all App Store customers.

For Google, the move by Epic Games is likely troubling, as it could prompt other large games to do the same. [...]
Over the rest of 2018, Sensor Tower believes Fortnite will have gained at least $50 million in revenues that would otherwise have been paid out to Google.
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chrisretusn · Aug 11, 2018

I've seen Fortnite offered using Samsung's Game Launcher. It's featured at the top in Galaxy Apps along with PUBG. It's actually a Fortnite Installer which in turn installs the Fortnite App. Searching for 'fortnite' in Play Store results in "Fortnite Battle Royale by Epic Games, Inc is not available on Google Play."

guest · Aug 24, 2018

Epic's first Fortnite Installer allowed hackers to download and install anything on your Android phone silently
The exact problem we expected to happen, happened.
August 24, 2018
https://www.androidcentral.com/epic...ler-allowed-hackers-download-install-silently

Google has just publicly disclosed that it discovered an extremely serious vulnerability in Epic's first Fortnite installer for Android that allowed any app on your phone to download and install anything in the background, including apps with full permissions granted, without the user's knowledge

In short, this was exactly the kind of exploit that Android Central, and others, had feared would occur with this sort of installation system. Here's what you need to know about the vulnerability, and how to make sure you're safe going forward.

The problem, as Google's security team discovered, was that the Fortnite Installer was very easily exploitable to hijack the request to download Fortnite from Epic and instead download anything when you tap the button to download the game. [...]
Because of the way this exploit works, there is no indication during the installation process that you're downloading anything other than Fortnite [...] Going further, that app that was just installed silently can declare and be granted every permission possible without your further consent.
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ZMsiXone · Aug 25, 2018

https://betanews.com/2018/08/25/fortnite-installer-security-flaw/

Now a Google engineer just revealed that the first version of Epic's installer had a serious security vulnerability, placing Android users at risk. A post on Google's Issue Tracker shows that the installer could be abused to secretly download and install any app with any level of permissions -- a Man-in-the-Disk exploit.
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Minimalist · Aug 26, 2018

Epic Games blasts Google for disclosing Fortnite Android exploit early

Thankfully, Epic released a patch that addressed the Fortnite installer vulnerability within 48 hours of its discovery (August 15). The company requested that Google not disclose the details until after 90 days, giving users plenty of time to update their apps and to prevent hackers exploiting the bug.

However, Google’s guidelines state that while the official period for public disclosure is 90 days, it will disclose a vulnerability once a patch has been made widely available. Therefore, the company ignored Epic’s request and shared the details once the patched version of the installer had been available for seven days.
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https://www.techspot.com/news/76139-epic-blasts-google-disclosing-fortnite-android-app-exploit.html

EASTER · Aug 26, 2018

That was sure to stir up a fuss but the dust should settle soon enough now the fix is in and "made widely available"?

guest · Aug 27, 2018

Why now could be a good time to fortify your Android defenses
August 27, 2018
https://www.welivesecurity.com/2018/08/27/fortnite-fortify-android-defenses/

So why worry? Well, mainly because those who wish to download Fortnite first need to allow the installation of apps from places other than Google Play, which removes a critically important – and enabled by default – security precaution on Android devices.
The main pain point, then, is that many aspiring players will skip their homework and fail to double-check the authenticity of the website from which they install the coveted game. As a result, they run the risk of ending up with one of the game’s malicious fakes instead.

Not to mention the fact that even going to the legitimate source could entail an unexpected risk: a serious vulnerability in the game’s installer app, though now fixed by Epic Games, has caused further concern.

Whatever the magnitude of its implications for security, the developer’s decision surely opens a can of worms, however unintentionally. And this sends an important message to players and, often, also to their parents: once more, you need to step up your security game.
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guest · Aug 28, 2018

Lukáš Štefanko: I hope other app developers don’t follow Epic‘s example
August 28, 2018
https://www.welivesecurity.com/2018/08/28/lukas-stefanko-app-developers-dont-follow-epic/

Normally, I would urge everybody to stick to Google Play, but for obvious reasons this doesn’t help in this case. [...] Under no circumstances should you download the app or what is, in fact, likely to be its malicious imposter, from non-official app stores, torrents, or other shady sources.

Put simply, the way in which the game is installed increases the susceptibility of users to a device compromise, be it due to their installing a fake app from an unofficial source or forgetting to disable the “unknown sources” option once Fortnite is installed.

Fortnite has been so popular, and the Android version so highly anticipated, that attackers can sneak any malicious code you can think of into the unofficial app. Which is also why a robust security app can go a long way towards enhancing your defenses.
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guest · Sep 7, 2018

Fortnite hits 15 million installs on Android
September 7, 2018
https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/07/fortnite-hits-15-million-installs-on-android/

Circumventing the Google Play store wasn’t exactly a gamble for Epic, given the fact that Fortnite is essentially a license to print money. But even by its own standards, the game is posting some impressive numbers three weeks after hitting Android.

In a blog post this week, Epic noted that the wildly popular sandbox survival game hit 23 million players on Google’s mobile operating system, spread out across 15 million APK installs. Those numbers are arriving 21 days after the title launched on the OS.

Along with the numbers, Epic also highlighted some of its efforts to tackle potential malware threats — an added issue given that the game isn’t distributed through Google’s official channel.

“So far, Epic has instigated action on 47 unauthorized “Fortnite for Android’ websites,” the company writes, “many of which appear to be run by the same bad actors. We continue to police the situation with a goal of taking them offline, or restricting access by leveraging Epic’s connection to a network of anti-fraud partners.”
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guest · Apr 18, 2019

Epic Games will focus on strengthening user account security this year
April 18, 2019
https://www.neowin.net/news/epic-games-will-focus-on-strengthening-user-account-security-this-year

As Epic Games ramps up the competition against Steam, one thing that it still needs to work on is ensuring that customers trust it. Just last year, a massive security hole was found in the Fortnite creator's launcher, which allowed fake APKs to be installed on Android devices.

To quell those fears, the company has detailed how it secures user accounts and the steps that it plans to take in the future to strengthen its security measures.
In a recent security bulletin, Epic has discussed that providing security to its 250 million registered users is the primary concern for the company. It boasted how its system has never been compromised and the only breaches that had occurred so far were due to similar credentials being leaked from other compromised websites.

Furthermore, it noted that it is a proponent of multi-factor authentication (MFA), and it plans to roll out SMS-based authentication in the near future as well.
Epic also encouraged users to utilize unique passwords across all their services, and noted that it is planning to integrate additional layers of security this year to strengthen account security.
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chrisretusn · Apr 26, 2019

Installed it a while back. Removed it not to long ago. Reason, huge updates, long load times, just not a fun game. Game had a large foot print too. I found PUBG Mobile more entertaining that Fortnite. PUBG still installed.

guest · Jul 20, 2019

mood said: ↑

[...] ditch Google Play Store [...]
Epic Games CEO cites ‘economic efficiency’ of bypassing Play Store’s 30 percent cut
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Tinder is following suit:
Tinder is now bypassing the Play Store on Android to avoid Google’s 30 percent cut
Match Group joins Fortnite maker Epic Games
July 19, 2019
https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/19/...roid-bypass-30-percent-cut-avoid-self-install

Tinder parent company Match Group has just become the latest high-profile software maker to stiff Google on its 30 percent fee for all Android transactions through the Play Store. To avoid paying the company on in-app purchases of subscriptions to services like Tinder Gold and Tinder Plus, Match Group will now encourage users to enter credit card details directly into Tinder’s systems, according to Bloomberg, citing new research by Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter.

Epic and Match may be the only two high-profile companies to thus far openly bypass the Play Store while still trying to cater to Android users.
Many companies treat the 30 percent cut as the cost of doing business, especially on iOS where you get Apple’s quality control and firm grip on its ecosystem, although some begrudgingly refer to the fee as the “Apple tax.”
Even though Epic Games did bypass the Google Play store, it decided to release Fortnite on iOS through the App Store and take the hit, for instance.

Android, however, is more open and therefore more flexible with how developers want to make money and reach users more directly. That’s opened the door for Epic and now Match Group to experiment.
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guest · Dec 9, 2019

Fortnite on Google Play: Is a 30% cut worth the security benefits?
Opinion: Google says there are no exceptions. Should Epic Games bite the bullet?
December 9, 2019
https://www.zdnet.com/article/fortnite-on-google-play-is-a-30-cut-worth-the-security-benefits/

A 9to5 Google report emerged over the past week which suggested Epic Games had submitted Fortnite to Google Play in the hopes of a special exception to the 30 percent rule.

Google said no.
This is no surprise in itself as if Google made one exception -- especially to a massively popular app -- more developers would come knocking at the door asking for special treatment.
Downloading an app from a third-party website requires high levels of trust in these sources [...] It is this avenue that can be exploited by attackers to perform phishing, Man-in-The-Middle (MiTM) attacks and to download malicious payloads on to devices.

As Fortnite does handle payment data, the need to maintain adequate security is even more important considering its massive customer base.
However, given that the app does tend to have a younger audience that may be more susceptible to phishing, downloading installers from untrusted sources, and giving away the keys to their accounts unwittingly, choosing to stay with sideloading could end up costing the company -- and its customers -- far more in the long run than Google's commission.
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guest · Apr 21, 2020

Fortnite for Android arrives on Play Store after Epic Games gives in to Google cut
April 21, 2020
https://9to5google.com/2020/04/21/fortnite-android-play-store/

Fortnite has been one of the most popular video games in the world for a while now, but its Android version has only been distributed through the company’s own website. That decision was made over Google’s 30% cut for distribution that Epic Games called “illegal.” Well, now Fortnite for Android has gone live on the Play Store, 30% cut and all.

Earlier this year, we reported that Epic Games had submitted Fortnite to the Play Store in the hopes that Google would give them an exception to the 30% cut. Google did not do that, so Epic stubbornly kept distributing the app independently as an APK. In a previous interview, Epic called Google’s practice of requiring Play Store billing “illegal” and that it had asked Google to remove that “expectation.”

Now, a few months later, Fortnite is available on the Google Play Store.
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Epic Games says that it has come to the “basic realization” that it’s very difficult to distribute an app on Android outside of the Play Store. Google’s security protections on Android often bring up pop-ups recommending sideloaded apps to be removed or, in some cases, even blocking their installation.
Epic Games provided the following statement on Fortnite’s arrival on the Play Store to Polygon: [...]

Fortnite for Android will continue to be distributed outside of the Google Play Store, but users will get the same experience — with the addition of Google Play billing — by downloading from the Play Store. Of course, they won’t have to turn off security measures to get the game, too.
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TechCrunch: Epic Games launches Fortnite on the Google Play Store and they’re not happy about it

Epic Games withholding Fortnite from the Play Store was a very clear threat to Google’s app profits, though Google argued that downloading Android software outside of the Play Store presented a clear security threat to users who could unknowingly download malware from less reputable sites.

Epic Games clearly isn’t happy with the roadblocks Google has put up to dissuade users from downloading software from the web as well as the blanket warnings Android delivers regardless of whether the publisher is considered a trusted one.
For now, it seems Google has maintained the upper hand though Epic Games clearly isn’t satisfied with their dealings with Google.

“We hope that Google will revise its policies and business dealings in the near future, so that all developers are free to reach and engage in commerce with customers on Android and in the Play Store through open services, including payment services, that can compete on a level playing field,” Epic Game’s statement further read.
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