In another unsealed section, the complaint describes a Google Play manager reaching out to Epic about its plans to sideload Fortnite - and apparently admitting that sideloading is a “frankly abysmal” experience in the process. Tim Sweeney August 6, 2021Įpic has also alleged that Google offered it a “special deal” to launch Fortnite on the Play Store. 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.
Android provides more choices in mobile devices for developers and consumers,” the spokesperson said. “Epic’s lawsuit is baseless and mischaracterizes our business conversations. In a comment to The Verge, a Google spokesperson cast doubt on Epic’s interpretation of events. In a tweet after this article’s publication, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said the plan “was unbeknownst to us at the time.” It also doesn’t give a timeframe for the discussion - although it presumably happened after Epic started its plans to launch Fortnite on Android in 2018. The internal messages discussing that possibility remain secret, and the complaint doesn’t indicate that Google ever reached out to Epic with these plans.
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. Here’s Epic’s description of the situation: The complaint still omits many details about Google’s dealings with specific companies, but the new details reflect internal Google communications about competition on the Android platform.Įpic claims Google was threatened by its plans to sidestep Google’s official Play Store commission by distributing Fortnite through other channels, and in an unredacted segment, it quotes an internal Google document calling Epic’s plans a “contagion” threatening Google. Last night, Google lifted some of its redactions in Epic’s antitrust complaint against Google, which Epic amended and refiled last month. Google considered buying Epic Games as the companies sparred over Epic’s Fortnite Android app, according to newly unsealed court filings.