Image via Epic Games
A new lawsuit by Epic Games (Fortnite) has alleged that Google spent hundreds of millions of dollars to prevent other companies like Activision from opening rival app stores.
In a newly undredacted copy of a lawsuit Epic Games filed against Google in 2020, Epic Games claimed that Google paid Activision Blizzard about $360 million over three years. The news was first reported by Reuters.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Google paid Riot Games (which is owned by Tencent) about $30 million over the course of one year.
The lawsuit claims that Google is enacting anti-competitive restrictions on mobile device marketplaces and says that Nintendo and Ubisoft were also compensated in exchange for not opening mobile marketplaces alongside 24 other companies.
The deals with developers reportedly included payments for posting to YouTube as well as credits towards Google ads and cloud services. Google stated that the deals to keep developers satisfied reflected healthy competition.
Epic Games claimed that Google considered launching a bid to acquire the Fortnite publisher in order to remove competition. It said that Google discussed joining Tencent, which currently owns a 40% stake in Epic, in gaining control over Epic or potentially planning a hostile takeover.
Epic Games said that Google was threatened after Epic distributed Fortnite for Android outside of the Google Play Store. Google removed Fortnite from its platform not too long after.
Epic Games is also appealing the result of a similar antitrust lawsuit against Apple. Last year, a judge ruled against Epic Games in nine of the 10 counts it had brought against Apple.
Activision Blizzard‘s EVP of corporate affairs, Lulu Cheng Meservey, says that the claims made by Epic Games in the lawsuit are false and posted the following to Twitter:
In terms of mobile app stores, Microsoft recently revealed its plans to create a “next generation game store” to compete with Apple and Google. It seems like the decision was aided by its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which is being investigated by antitrust regulators.
Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
