Fortnite for Android Samsung exclusive could last for up to four months

• The rumored Fortnite Samsung Galaxy Note 9 exclusive could be just the beginning.
• New information points to Fortnite being exclusively available to Samsung devices for up to 90 days after the Note 9 exclusive ends.
• This alleged lengthy exclusive is part of a very unconventional release strategy for the popular battle royale game.

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Last week, we heard a rumor that Fortnite for Android might be an exclusive for owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, at least at first.

The source of that rumor told Android Headlines that the Note 9 exclusive would last up to 30 days. Since that was the only information available at the time, the assumption was that after that 30-day period, anyone would be able to download and install the game.

However, the original source told Android Headlines that the Note 9 exclusive will last 30 days, but then the Samsung exclusive could last up to an additional 90 days after that. This means that Note 9 owners will get access to Fortnite first, then there will be a period where owners of other Samsung devices will get to play it.

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In brief, it could be up to four months before anyone who doesn't own a Samsung phone can play Fortnite for Android.

After that yet-unknown length of time, the game will likely be available for all gamers regardless of their device.

While this sounds like an excessively long amount of time for an exclusive, it's clear that Epic Games is operating far out of the realm of common practices when it comes to the Android release of Fortnite. Earlier today, we got confirmation that Fortnite will not be available on the Google Play Store; instead, users will download and install the game directly from Epic by enabling app installations from unknown sources in their Android device settings.

It seems that the rule book for how to release an Android game is going straight out the window when it comes to Fortnite.

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Epic Games and Samsung will enforce this "Samsung only" exclusive period by requiring the launch of Fortnite through the Game Launcher on compatible Samsung devices. If that's the case, it likely won't be as easy as downloading the APK and sideloading the game onto any device; users without Samsung devices would have to emulate the Game Launcher (and, presumably, Samsung Game Tools) in order to play the game.

In the earlier report on this rumor, we mentioned that there would be some in-game credits (or a set of headphones) available for those who pre-order the Galaxy Note 9. This appears to still be the case, and will not extend to other Samsung devices.

What do you think? Is Epic Games doing right with these bold, unconventional strategies, or is this all a bad idea? Let us know how you feel in the comments.

NEXT: Fortnite Mobile on Android: Here are the compatible phones

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