caption “Fortnite” launched on Android smartphones recently, but it skipped Google’s Play Store. source Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider “Fortnite” launched on Android recently, starting with Samsung smartphones and expanding out to other major flagship Android phones. Instead of launching on Google’s Play Store, Epic Games opted to skip the storefront and distribute the free game itself. By skipping Google’s storefront, a critical security flaw was introduced to the download process. The issue went unnoticed by Epic Games until Google pointed it out. It has since been fixed. This example highlights a major security risk that comes with mass distribution of software, and why platforms like Google Play are important. When the insanely popular game “Fortnite” finally arrived on Android earlier this month, it skipped Google’s ubiquitous Play Store. You couldn’t just navigate to Google’s store and download “Fortnite.” It wasn’t there. There was a clear reason to skip the Google Play Store: Google takes 30% of all sales through its storefront, and “Fortnite” maker Epic Games wanted to keep 100% of its sales. “The 30% store tax is a high cost in a world where game developers’ 70% must cover all the cost of developing, operating, and supporting their games,” Epic…