Several years after filing the lawsuit, Epic Games won the case Antitrust against Google about unfair competition practices on the Google Play app store and related payment services. Since Epic Games lost the previous lawsuit Applethis latest ruling is considered a major victory for the gaming giant.
Founded in 1991, Epic Games is the software and video game developer and publisher behind Unreal Engine and Fortnite. Epic Games is trying to expand across multiple platforms but is having problems with mobile app stores. Epic objects to the acts anti-competition of Google as well as Apple and filed a lawsuit against these two corporations.
Epic Games first filed suit against Apple and Google in August 2020, and today the company just received a favorable judgment against Google. Both Apple and Google have been accused by Epic Games of engaging in monopolistic practices on their mobile stores, resulting in app and game developers being forced to pay high percentages of royalties and incur penalties. anti-competitive restrictions. While lawsuit With Apple still having legal problems, the ruling regarding Google has officially been issued. According to the ruling, Epic Games proved that Google created a monopoly through the default installation of the Google Play app on Android devices and that Google had anti-competitive intentions when paying developers. apps and store owners to use Google instead of other services.
As more and more video game developers look to expand into the mobile market, disputes like Epic Games’ lawsuit against Apple and Google have major implications for the gaming industry. Following Epic’s victory over Google, it’s likely that Google will be asked to adjust its payment methods and potentially reduce its licensing fees. This opens up a promising future for small studios and independent developers, as mobile app stores will then be more financially accessible and thus offer more platform options. more for the game. However, any potential penalty is likely to be appealed by Google and could force Epic to continue pursuing the legal dispute for years to come. Given the complexity of the lawsuit between Epic and Apple, these antitrust disputes may take some time to be resolved.
