In the ongoing story of Fortnite returning to mobile, everyone knows the story that started the new epic for Epic Games. When the firm decided to reduce the price of its digital currency for V-Bucks, both Apple and Google removed the game from the App Store and Google Play Store respectively. Since then, the game has been absent from mobile play aside from the Nintendo Switch.
However, a report surfaced disclosing plans at NVIDIA to deliver support for the game via GeForce Now. It was not until this past January that NVIDIA officially announced the plan. Currently, the game is in beta for the service with no approximate time frame entailing when Fortnite will be available to all of its subscribers on GeForce Now.
Well, Microsoft beat NVIDIA to it with xCloud. On Thursday, Microsoft announced that it is partnering with Epic Games to deliver Fortnite via its cloud streaming platform for Android, iOS, and even PC.
As part of our mission to bring the joy and community of gaming to players wherever they are and to make gaming more accessible to people around the world, I’m excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Epic Games to make Fortnite available on supported browser-enabled devices for free with Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) in 26 countries.
With no installation or memberships required, all you need to do is go to Xbox.com/play on your web browser and sign-in with your Microsoft Account to party-up with friends or earn your next Victory Royale in Fortnite. Whether you want to play Fortnite with native touch controls or a supported controller, it’s easy to jump into Fortnite with Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Catherine Gluckstein, Xbox Cloud Gaming Vice President and Head of Product
“It’s an important step to add a Free-to-Play title to the cloud gaming catalog as we continue our cloud journey. We’re starting with Fortnite and will look to bring more Free-to-Play games people love in the future,” the post added. The announcement comes as a surprise as the cort feud between Epic Games & Apple revealed the Fortnite team intentionally blocking Microsoft from hosting the game on xCloud in the past.
Additionally, this appears to play in part of the new initiative for more games coming to xCloud. Recently, division director Kim Swift revealed that xCloud is receiving its own publishing team to offer new games that will be exclusive to the peripheral. There is still no word as to when we can see the fruit of the initiative becoming ripe.
The announcement also aligns with a previous statement from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. Previously he expressed a desire to make xCloud available without being tied to a subscription. While it is still mostly accessible via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Fortnite is the first step for the ambition. You can read the full report by heading here.
Are you excited to play Fortnite on xCloud?
Source: Xbox Wire
