(UnitedVoice.com) – More than 200 million people play Fortnite every month. The game is incredibly popular among kids. Recently, its developers were embroiled in a lawsuit with Google, and the game came out on top.
On December 11, a jury sided with Epic Games in an antitrust lawsuit against Google. The battle between the two companies had been raging for three years. In 2020, Epic filed a lawsuit against the tech giant for allegedly violating California and federal antitrust laws.
Epic accused Google (and Apple in a separate suit) of violating antitrust laws by requiring app users to make payments through their systems, rather than the game’s system. The video game creator argued that prevented them from seeing their full in-app revenues. The lawsuit also challenged the fees that Google forces Android app developers to pay. The fees can cost as much as 30% of their revenue. The company also forces app developers to use both its billing service and Play Store.
In the lawsuit, BBC reported Epic pointed out that Android powers approximately 70% of smartphones around the world, and over 95% of the Android apps are distributed through the Play Store. That gives the tech giant access to billions of tablets and cell phones. The video game developer alleged Google “suppresses innovation and choice” through a “web of secretive, anti-competitive agreements.”
Epic also accused Google of suppressing alternative app stores, something Epic runs on PC. The lawsuit states Google does that by “paying developers to abandon their own store efforts and direct distribution plants” by paying device manufacturers to exclude alternative app stores. That allows Google to create a monopoly and reap the financial windfall that comes from it.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney celebrated the jury’s decision on X, formerly Twitter. The executive said, “Victory over Google!” After weeks of testimony, a California jury ruled “against the Google Play monopoly on all counts.”
Victory over Google! After 4 weeks of detailed court testimony, the California jury found against the Google Play monopoly on all counts. The Court’s work on remedies will start in January. Thanks for everyone’s support and faith! Free Fortnite! https://t.co/ITm4YBHCus
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) December 12, 2023
Google has vowed to appeal the ruling.
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