What it’s worthwhile to know
- Epic Video games’ battle royale, Fortnite, has returned to the Google Play Retailer after pulling it throughout its antitrust case in opposition to the latter.
- Epic’s founder and CEO, Tim Sweeney, introduced its return by way of X this afternoon (Dec 11), in addition to the official Fortnite account.
- Epic v Google was an antitrust case over the anticompetitive practices of the Play Retailer since 2020, which lastly noticed the previous obtain victory again in August.
The place we droppin’? It is a phrase Android customers have missed out on with Fortnite’s Play Retailer disappearance, however that ends right this moment.
It has been an extended street, and Android followers of Epic Video games’ Fortnite can drop in once more, because the battle royale returns to the Play Retailer (by way of 9to5Google). This afternoon (Dec 11), Epic Video games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney introduced that Fortnite has formally returned to Android customers by way of the Play Retailer for the U.S. Sweeney’s publish provides that the sport will stay obtainable by means of the Epic Video games retailer on Android worldwide, as effectively.
The publish provides, “Because of Google for all of their superior assist; that is the start of a brand new, open world of cellular gaming!”
Even the Fortnite X account bought concerned, highlighting the most recent season starting right this moment, O.G. Chapter 1 Season 7. Its publish reads, “So many causes to drop on this month… and now we’re on Google Play within the U.S. too!” The publish then reiterates Fortnite’s availability on the Apple Retailer, from which it was additionally eliminated throughout Epic’s court docket battles. Fortnite returned to iPhones earlier this 12 months, and now Android telephones are getting their flip.
Sweeney mentions that, since Fortnite’s return to the Apple Retailer, it is jumped into second place underneath “most downloaded U.S. iOS sport” for 2025. This speaks volumes to customers’ enjoyment of the sport, particularly on one other platform.
Victory Royale
Epic’s battles with Google started again in 2020 when it kicked off an antitrust case in opposition to the latter over its Play Retailer practices. Since then, key figures, corresponding to Choose James Donato, have dominated in favor of Epic Video games because it sought to convey change to how Google operates its app retailer. In 2024, Choose Donato issued an injunction to make sweeping adjustments throughout the Play Retailer.
It was discovered that Google was responsible of illegally monopolizing “Android app distribution” and “in-app billing.” What we’re seeing now could be the results of a “whole victory,” based on Sweeney, that Epic achieved in August, which enabled it to convey its sport retailer to Google’s app area. The Epic Retailer on Android was beforehand the one method customers may play Fortnite, although it was a side-loading course of that Epic stated others made troublesome.
Now, with Fortnite’s return on the Play Retailer menu, Android customers can have a a lot simpler time getting again on the battle bus.
