In a bizarre twist, 'Fortnite' is reportedly heading to Android as an exclusive to a brand-new Samsung phone

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.

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.

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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.

Samsung/YouTube

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'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.

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