Epic Games wins antitrust case against Google on Play Store monopoly

Google told Reuters that it competes "intensely on price, quality and security" against Apple's App Store. (Image: AFP)

Epic Games, creators of Fortnite and Unreal Engine, have won their antitrust case against Google. The case alleged that Google held an unfair stranglehold over other companies by forcing them to go through their payment systems and give them a 30 percent cut of revenue.

Also Read | US Supreme Court denies Epic Games appeal in Apple App Store case

"We will continue to defend the Android business model and remain deeply committed to our users, partners, and the broader Android ecosystem," Wilson White, vice president of government affairs and public policy at Google, said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

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

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Google told Reuters that it competes "intensely on price, quality and security" against Apple's App Store. The company argued that it did "not want to lose 60 million Android users to Apple every year" and has lowered its fee structure to compete.

Epic filed a similar lawsuit against Apple over its practices on the App Store, but in 2021 the courts ruled in favor of Apple. The decision was upheld in April this year, after Epic appealed the ruling.