The war between Epic Games and app stores has been going on since 2020. First sparked by the studio's decision to sell in-game currency for Fortnite directly from the company, Apple and Google decided to remove the game from their stores. This led to Epic Games filing a lawsuit against both tech giants.
Epic Games Wins the Legal Battle
After a long antitrust case between Epic Games and Google, a verdict has been made and the former emerges victorious. A jury voted unanimously as they sided with the video game company, which marks the end of the three-year lawsuit.
It all began when Epic Games decided that players should be able to buy in-game currency or V-bucks directly from the company. This, however, violated the policies that Epic Games agreed to with Apple and Google, which resulted in the removal of Fortnite from both app stores.
In response to that, Epic Games filed its lawsuit against Google, accusing Google's app store of violating federal and California state antitrust laws, as reported by Tech Crunch, by forcing app users to pay through their own systems and getting a cut from the purchases.
The reason why Google was hit heavier than Apple was that unlike the latter, Android allows sideloading apps, which was one of the defining factors of the lawsuit. With giants like Google, it seemed that the battle was already predetermined with the search engine giant at the winner's corner.
In a surprising turn of events, Epic Games won, which could set a fair precedent for other developers who aim to publish their titles in Google Play as well. Epic Games stated that the verdict is "a win for all app developers and consumers around the world."
The video game company added that the victory in court proves that Google's app store practices are illegal and they "abuse their monopoly to extract exorbitant fees, stifle competition, and reduce innovation."
Google plans to appeal the verdict according to its VP of Government Affairs & Public Policy, Wilson White. He says that they "will continue to defend the Android business model and remain deeply committed to our users, partners, and the broader Android ecosystem."
Epic Games vs Apple
Epic Games also filed a lawsuit against Apple, but it didn't have the same outcome as their battle with Google. The company accused the iPhone maker of "seeking to control markets, block competition, and stifle innovation."
Anyone can agree that Apple's 30% commission for in-app purchasing might be a bit too expensive. The problem is Microsoft and Sony are in the same boat as Apple with the commission and payment methods, yet Epic Games is not filing a lawsuit against the others.
By late August, US District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in favor of Apple, stating that the video game company was not able to demonstrate irreparable harm from Apple's ban on Fortnite, as per Apple Insider.
She added that the situation was Epic Games' own making and that the arguments did not show that "the general public interest in requiring private parties to adhere to their contractual agreements."
