A lawsuit filed against Google by Epic Games in 2020 has recently become unredacted, revealing allegations that Google paid Activision-Blizzard to not open up its own app store. The lawsuit also alleged that Google paid and wanted to team up with Tencent, a big stakeholder inEpic Games, in a move to attempt to purchase the company.
This news is among the latest of developments regarding the legal battle that began in 2020 when Epic Games filed separate lawsuits against Apple and Google afterFortnitewas removed from the App Store and Play Store. This removal was prompted by Epic Games' encouragement of players to buy V-Bucks,Fortnite’s in-game currency, directly from Epic Games rather than going through the App Store or Play Store, a move that helped Epic Games avoid having to pay fees on transactions made through these stores. Although thelawsuit by Epic Games against Apple ended last year, the tech company soon after came under investigation by the U.K. government for anti-competitive behavior.
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This leads to the latest development with the lawsuit against Google being recently unredacted, showing that Epic Games accused Google of paying Activision-Blizzard $360 million over the course of three years to keep the company from opening its own app store. As reported by Reuters, Google labeled the lawsuit as “baseless and full of mischaracterizations.” Meanwhile, Lulu Cheng Meservey, Activision’s executive vice president of corporate affairs, publicly denied the allegations and asserted that documents and testimony have been submitted that prove them as false.
Another allegation from the lawsuit was that Google planned to buy Epic Games by teaming up with Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent as well as paying Tencent’s Riot Games unit, known for developingLeague of LegendsandValorant, $30 million dollars over one year. Much of the animosity between Epic Games and Google has been sparked byGoogle taking 30% of every transactionmade through the Play Store, which was also the catalyst for an antitrust lawsuit filed in the U.S. last year.
A major factor in this latest development is that Activision-Blizzard, a company with its own share of legal issues, has now been roped into the legal battle between Epic Games and Google. These circumstances have led to skepticism over whether Activision-Blizzard’s word can be trusted in regard to these latest allegations. AlthoughActivision-Blizzard did take actionin response to lawsuits filed against the company last year, there is reason to question how transparent the company will be as the current situation unfolds.
In any case, thebad blood between Epic Games and Googleis unlikely to end anytime soon, whether it be inside or outside the courtroom. Only half the battle has ended concerning the two lawsuits filed in 2020, and only time will tell regarding the future ofFortniteon mobile devices.
