This article originally appeared on ABACUS One of the biggest games in the world is heading to smartphones. Epic Games says players can sign up to play Fortnite: Battle Royale on iOS devices starting Monday March 12 , with Android support following later. The company says Fortnite on mobile devices will be exactly the same game as on console and PC. Smartphone gamers will even be able to battle players on PlayStation 4, PC and Mac -- all platforms except Xbox One. Fortnite has grown rapidly since its free battle royale mode was released in September, surpassing genre pioneer PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (or PUBG) as the most played and most watched game of its type on PC and consoles. PUBG established the basic structure for battle royale games when an early version came out on PC last year: 100 players parachute on to a deserted island, where they have to scavenge for weapons, search for cover, and fight to be the last player left alive. The Hunger Games-esque concept caught on quickly, especially in China -- despite the fact that PUBG wasn't officially out in the country yet. NetEase quickly created their own battle royale game to take advantage of the craze, but they chased a bigger audience by building it for mobile devices. It worked: It says Knives Out has 100 million registered players, far more than the original PUBG. That success prompted a slew of Chinese PUBG clones on smartphones -- including one from Tencent, who would later go on to release two official mobile versions of PUBG . But if the smartphone version of Fortnite beats PUBG on mobiles, Tencent probably won't be too sad: It also owns 40% of Epic Games, creators of Fortnite. For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters , subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast , and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report . Also roam China Tech City , an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus .
