Microsoft said that users in 26 countries could play Fortnite for free using Xbox Cloud Gaming. However, they will first need a Microsoft account and, of course, access to the internet. It supports gamepads and controllers, too, ensuring your Fortnite experience is quite familiar. Since the Fortnite app still isn’t available on the Play Store or Apple’s App Store, gamers will have to resort to playing the game on their web browsers. This also means that Fortnite is now playable on devices like the Valve Stream Deck.
NVIDIA’s Phil Eisler said Fortnite will soon launch on GeForce NOW with touch controls, and other additions
Fortnite was already available to play via the NVIDIA GeForce Now service, albeit in a closed beta. But this new announcement in partnership with Microsoft expands the title’s reach even further. Of course, it’s not the same as having the game available on mobile app hubs. But this is certainly a start. As The Verge points out, this could be an excellent starting point for free-to-play games on Xbox Cloud Gaming. Microsoft is likely hoping to bring some of these Fortnite players into its dedicated subscription service, Xbox Game Pass. NVIDIA is reasonably optimistic about this new move, at least according to GeForce NOW chief Phil Eisler. “We believe all games should be playable on any device and see today’s announcement as an exciting one for all gamers! We are working with Epic to fully launch Fortnite with touch controls, streaming with GeForce performance, on GeForce NOW. Stay tuned for updates coming soon,” Eisler said in a statement. Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, has a rocky history with Microsoft. So the new partnership has certainly taken us by surprise. For context, the protracted legal battle between Epic and Apple revealed that the former chose not to bring Fortnite to Xbox Cloud Gaming. “We viewed Microsoft’s efforts with xCloud to be competitive with our PC offerings,” Epic’s VP of business development, Joe Kreiner, said at the time.
