Google has lifted some of the redactions in the antitrust lawsuit Epic Games filed in July, and it seems the tech company considered scooping up the Fortnite maker as Google saw Epic Games as a threat to its business model.
In newly unsealed court documents reported by The Verge, Epic Games alleges Google sought to use its power to buy “some or all” of the Fortnite and Unreal Engine developer. The reason is stated in such obvious terms: according to Epic Games, Google maintains monopolies and engages in “unlawful restraints” hindering competitors, innovators, customers, and users of the Android ecosystem.
In short, Epic Games wants to break up Google’s stranglehold on the Android market, saying the company limits third-party app stores while discouraging competition and innovation. According to the lawsuit, the tech giant called Epic Games a “contagion” and even considering buying it.
“Not content with the contractual and technical barriers it has carefully constructed to eliminate competition, Google uses its size, influence, power, and money to induce third parties into anticompetitive agreements that further entrench its monopolies,” the suit reads. “For example, Google has gone so far as to share its monopoly profits with business partners to secure their agreement to fence out competition, has developed a series of internal projects to address the ‘contagion’ it perceived from efforts by Epic and others to offer consumers and developers competitive alternatives, and has even contemplated buying some or all of Epic to squelch this threat.”
Exactly when Google thought about purchasing Epic Games remains undisclosed. Furthermore, the lawsuit doesn’t specify whether the tech company ever reached out to Epic Games regarding a potential acquisition.
But based on new comments made by Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, it appears things never got that far. He responded to the revelation on Twitter, saying it’s unclear whether Google’s interest would have been “a negotiation to buy Epic or some sort of hostile takeover attempt.” Sweeney also touched on the Google’s supposed “openness” philosophy surrounding the Android platform.
This was unbeknownst to us at the time, and because of the court’s protective order we’re just finding out now about Google’s consideration of buying Epic to shut down our efforts to compete with Google Play.https://t.co/HSS1edUrQm
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) August 6, 2021
The lawsuit makes note of not just Google and Apple’s cozy relationship, but also references a “special deal” to launch Fortnite on the Google Play store. Most of this section is redacted, but Epic Games claims a manager contacted the company to discuss the terms, ultimately saying downloading apps directly from a developer was “frankly abysmal” and “an awful [user] experience.” Epic Games rejected this deal and instead opted to push the game on its own terms. This move, according to Epic Games, led Google to collect statistics on “fake apps” caught by the tech giant.
This lawsuit, unlike the high-profile Epic v. Apple one, has yet to hit the courts for litigation. However, a proposed scheduled gives Google until August 20 to file a motion. A trial start date is currently set for October 14.
Though it remains unavailable on Apple phones, Fortnite still be downloaded on Android phones, albeit not directly through the Google Play store.
Source: Gamespot
