Highly anticipated: Fortnite has been out on the iPhone since the beginning of April. In the meantime, Android users have been patiently waiting for their chance to battle royale on the go. Thanks to an exclusivity deal penned between Samsung and Epic, we now have a better idea of when it will arrive.
Sources familiar with the deal told 9to5Google that Epic has pledged to make Fortnite exclusive to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 for thirty days after it launches. The agreement is part of a pre-order promotion that Samsung wants to run for its newest flagship phone.
Those who pre-order the Note 9 will receive $100-$150 worth of V-bucks to use in Fortnite. Those who have no interest in playing the game might be tempted into pre-ordering by the wireless AKG headphones that Samsung is offering in lieu of the game currency. The headphones retail for $149.95, so it's a comparable offer.
"Yes, you'll finally be able to play Fortnite on your non-Note 9 Android phone in late September."
Now as for the release date. So far the mega-popular battle-royale shooter has only been slated for a vague mid-2018 release for Android phones. However, we already know that Samsung has a Galaxy Note 9 unveiling planned for August 9 at an event in Brooklyn, New York. So from that we can narrow down the release date for Fortnite.
Since Samsung pre-ordering typically follows shortly after the unpacking, we can expect early sales to start between the 9th and the 16th. The latest rumors peg pre-orders for August 14 with physical units hitting shelves on the 24th, which sounds about right. So it looks like Fortnite will be open to all Android devices sometime in late September.
Epic has already been milking Fortnite on five other platforms, generating enough revenue to increase its valuation to $5-$8 billion by the end of 2018. Once it has a solid player base on Android, Epic will have one more cash cow contributing to the piles of dough in Tim Sweeney's backyard.
Image via 9to5Google