Epic had previously lost an antitrust lawsuit against Google. According to The Verge, Epic has submitted an appendix that adds more details of the lawsuit, including some details of Google’s monopolistic behavior disclosed in a recent government investigation.
Most of Epic’s lawsuits contain confidential information. However, the small amount of information available to the public indicates that it contains more information about Google’s monopolistic practices. Some of the information includes the relationship between Google and Apple, such as how Google paid Apple $8 billion to $12 billion to become the main search engine for Apple products. The complaint also includes Google’s relationship with mobile phone manufacturers and other app stores.
In the revised complaint, Epic described his attempt to launch Fortnite on the Samsung Galaxy Store, which Google opposed. According to the complaint, Google proposed to reach an agreement with Epic to allow Fortress Night to enter the Google Play Store, but it was rejected by Epic. The complaint alleges that Google has adopted some anti-competitive practices since then, although the details have been revised.
Google refused to admit some of the allegations in a statement to The Verge. Spokesperson José Castañeda said: “The open Android ecosystem allows developers to publish applications in various app stores. For game developers who choose to use the Play Store, we have a consistent policy that is fair to developers and to users.
Although Fortnite is still available on the Android platform, we cannot continue to provide the game on the Play platform because it violates our policy. For these baseless allegations, we will continue to provide Defend yourself.
Unlike the Epic v. Apple case, the Epic v. Google case has not yet entered the court trial stage. According to the proposed timetable, Google can file a cancellation motion before August 20 and set the start date on October 14. Unlike Apple phones, Fortnite can still be downloaded on Android phones through Epic’s website.
