Fortnite’s Android gambit could reform mobile’s walled gardens

Epic Games’ decision to release Fortnite on Android outside of Google Play is one of the biggest stories in the mobile games industry in years. The company’s decision to bypass Google’s app store and force Android players into side-loading a separate APK (Android PacKage) to access the game to avoid Google Play’s 30 percent cut has reverberated around the industry. Many are wondering if other publishers will follow suit if Epic’s move is a success.

In particular, the big question is whether Google Play and the Apple App Store will be able to remain on top of the app store pile if the biggest games publishers in the world begin to abandon it? The answer to that question is almost certainly yes. Apple and Google remain in an incredibly strong position in the mobile game distribution space, and they’re likely to retain it.