One might say that Korean electronics giant Samsung has a certain way of doing its product introductions. They have misfortune, or the shrewdness, of having their upcoming smartphones for instance being “leaked” on rumor circles or even their official websites for short periods before being taken down; that has usually heralded the eventual official launch of that device anywhere from a few days or weeks later. It was how the buildup towards the Galaxy Note 9 phone-tablet went down with the brief leak a week ago. And now, the device has been officially unveiled along with its “big-name” gaming partner.
USA Today has revealed that Samsung has made its official launch of the Galaxy Note 9 just this Thursday, August 9. As was hinted from the images that were part of its earlier – possibly engineered – leak, the latest phone-tablet hybrid was not that dramatically different from its predecessor the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 from last year, merely another incremental improvement but nothing totally new. At least that is how it appears hardware-wise. Regarding content, there is something new, the result of a partnership between Samsung and Epic Games to include by default a mobile app version of the latter’s most successful online multiplayer game: “Fortnite”.
“Fortnite” has been a recent gaming success story with its revolutionary financial success despite being predominantly free-to-play; this was the result of some smart implementation of in-game cash purchases that have helped it generate remarkable amounts of revenue, up to a billion dollars and beyond. While mobile-wise “Fortnite” has already been a smash hit addition to Apple’s iOS for iPhones and iPads, it is with Samsung’s Galaxy devices where “Fortnite” will make its grand debut for Android mobile gaming. While a “Fortnite” app is on the Note 9 by default, earlier versions of the Galaxy S smartphones and tablet computers can now download a beta of the game starting Thursday.
Epic Games working with Samsung in introducing Fortnite on Android means that the app is downloadable only on Samsung’s Game Launcher and not the Google Play Store. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweentey candidly explained that it served to keep Fortnite from being affected by Google’s blanket 30% revenue cut from all apps on Play Store. As part of the promotion, the Galaxy Note 9 also comes with a “Fortnite” skin and a head-start on exclusivity for the game over other Android smartphones, for a while.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will arrive in smartphone stores this coming August 24. Preorders are now currently available too.
Images courtesy of CNET
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