Epic Games secures victory over Google in the antitrust legal trial

Epic filed a lawsuit in 2020, alleging that Google established a monopoly through its Google Play Store on Android devices, distributing over 95% of all applications for the platform.

The complaint centered on Google's insistence on a 30% revenue share from any app on the Google Play Store, along with the requirement to use Google Play's payment system, thus depriving developers of other means of income aside from reliance on Google.

It was also claimed that Google made favorable deals with device manufacturers to exclude other app stores from their devices.

A verdict has been reached, with the jury concluding that:

There exists an antitrust market on Android devices.Google "willfully established or maintained monopoly power by engaging in anticompetitive conduct."Google entered into agreements "unreasonably restraining trade."Google unlawfully tied the use of the Google Play Store to the use of Google Play's payment system.Epic suffered damages due to Google's violations of antitrust laws.In a blog post, Epic hailed the decision as "a win for all app developers and consumers worldwide," stating it "proves the illegality of Google's app store practices and their abuse of their monopoly by charging exorbitant fees, stifling competition, and reducing innovation."

It's currently unclear what changes the verdict will bring to the future operations of app stores. Epic and Google plan to meet with the judge in January to discuss potential measures, while Google intends to file an appeal.

The legal battle commenced in August 2020 when Epic attempted to circumvent platform fees through a new direct payment system in Fortnite, leading to the game's removal from the Google Play Store and App Store.

Later, Epic took legal actions against both Google and Apple "to end their anti-competitive restrictions on mobile device marketplaces," but ultimately lost the case against Apple in 2021. The only positive outcome was the judge's ruling that Apple could no longer prohibit developers from directing users to external payment options where Apple didn't receive a share.