‘Fortnite’ may arrive on Samsung Galaxy Note 9 before all other Android phones

Ben Gilbert / Business Insider

• The biggest game in the world, “Fortnite,” still hasn’t
  arrived on the world’s biggest mobile platform:
  Android.
• It’s scheduled to launch on Android this summer, but
  there’s no solid release date.
• The latest rumors point to the game being exclusive to
  Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 9 smartphone when the phone
  arrives in late August, with wide availability a month
  later.

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The good news is that “Fortnite” is finally coming to Android.
Its maker, Epic Games, says the Android version will arrive “this
summer.”

The bad news: It may be exclusive to a brand-new Samsung phone
for its first month.

That’s according to
a recent report on XDA Developers, which says “Fortnite” will
launch on Android on August 24 — exclusive to Samsung’s upcoming
Galaxy Note 9 for its first month.

If accurate, that puts a wider Android launch on track for late
September.

It would also be a huge get for Samsung.

The announcement is expected on August 9, the same day of
Samsung’s Unpacked event in New York City. Samsung has
already teased the event, with all signs pointing to an
unveiling of the latest Galaxy Note smartphone.

A
video teaser for the Galaxy Note 9 was published by Samsung
recently, which points to a larger battery as a key selling
point.

Samsung/YouTube

Samsung’s Galaxy Note line is known for pioneering large
format smartphone design — so-called “phablets” — and for
including a stylus. It appears that, with the Galaxy Note 9,
Samsung may be aiming for a gaming audience.

According to
9to5Google, anyone who orders a Galaxy Note 9 will get
somewhere in the range of $100 to $150 worth of in-game cash
(“V-bucks”) for use in “Fortnite.” Hit “Fortnite” streamer

Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is even rumored to make an appearance
at the phone’s unveiling. 

After its first month of availability, when “Fortnite” is
playable on more than one type of Android phone, the game

may skip Google’s ubiquitous Play Store. Instead, you’d
download the game directly from the web.

If it sounds weird, that’s because it’s a little weird — most
games and apps on Android are available in the Google Play Store.
Skipping the Play Store is simply a means of Epic Games getting
around paying Google a cut of its profits from “Fortnite” —
something that’s become more meaningful than ever considering

how much money is being made through “Fortnite” on just iOS.

Neither Samsung nor Epic Games offered a comment on this story.