Epic Games confirmed on Friday that it plans to bypass Google's Play Store for the eagerly awaited Android launch of Fortnite, its galactically popular online shooter. Instead the developer will point visitors to its site to download and install the game. 

Installing an app from anywhere but the official app store is known as sideloading, and requires reducing the security on your phone by opening it up to unknown developers.

CEO Tim Sweeney told TechCrunch: 

On open platforms like PC, Mac and Android, Epic's goal is to bring its games directly to customers. We believe gamers will benefit from competition among software sources on Android. Competition among services gives consumers lots of great choices and enables the best to succeed based on merit.

Fortnite is available in the iOS App Store and iOS is noticeably (and unsurprisingly) absent from the list of open platforms. When queried, Epic told CNET, "If the question is 'Would you have done this on iOS if you could have?' the answer would be 'Yes.'"

We also asked about the security problems with sideloading, which include making sure you download the official app and not a malware-laden clone (though the Play Store isn't immune to them). Sweeney commented to us via email:

Open platforms are an expression of freedom: the freedom of users to install the software they choose, and the freedom of developers to release software as they wish. With that freedom comes responsibility. You should look carefully at the source of software you're installing, and only install software from sources you trust.

Gamers have proven able to adopt safe software practices, and gaming has thrived on the open PC platform through many sources, including Steam, Battle.net, Riot Games, Good Old Games, and EpicGames.com. We're confident Android will be similarly successful.

Most importantly, mobile operating systems increasingly provide robust, permissions-based security, enabling users to choose what each app is allowed to do: save files; access the microphone; access your contacts. In our view, this is the way all computer and smartphone platforms should provide security, rather than entrusting one monopoly app store as the arbiter of what software users are allowed to obtain.

Like Apple, Google takes a 30 percent cut of all in-app purchases. Those are a big source of revenue for developers, especially for free apps and freely playable games like Fortnite, so there's an incentive for developers who don't need the publicity uplift of being in the store to circumvent it. And Sweeney confirmed to Eurogamer that the in-app cut was part of its motivation. 

It's a testament to Apple's market power that iOS apps are still wildly attractive to developers -- and contributes to Apple's valuation recently breaking $1 trillion. You can sideload apps on the iPhone, but it's a slightly more involved process.

Fortnite season 5, week 4 challenges: And how to beat them.

Fortnite: Battle Royale tips for gamers just starting out: Learn the essentials before you jump in.