Sunday, 31 August 2025
29.3 C
Singapore
28.5 C
Thailand
19.8 C
Indonesia
27.2 C
Philippines

Epic Games challenges Google’s market dominance

Epic Games confronts Google in a high-stakes legal fight over app store monopolies and the fairness of in-app purchase fees.

The courtroom in San Francisco is the latest battleground where Epic Games, the creator of the renowned Fortnite, is confronting Google over antitrust issues. At the heart of the dispute is the allegation that Google has a monopolistic grip on the Android app market, particularly criticising the hefty 30% fee on in-app purchases within the Google Play store.

Epic Games has brought up Google’s original corporate ethos, “Don’t be evil,” implying that the tech giant has strayed from its founding principles. In contrast, Google defends its position by highlighting the variety of methods available for downloading apps on Android, suggesting a competitive environment contrary to Epic’s claims.

This lawsuit echoes a previous legal clash Epic Games had with Apple in 2021, centring on similar issues. After removing Fortnite from both the Google Play and App Store in 2020 over disagreements on the commission fees, which Epic labelled as exorbitant, the gaming company has been on a mission to challenge the status quo of app distribution on major platforms.

Although the judge in the Apple case did not concur with the monopoly allegation, they did permit apps to direct users away from the in-app purchasing system of Apple, a minor victory for developers.

Competition or monopoly?

Epic insists that Google has stifled competition by setting up various contractual and technical hindrances that prevent other app distribution methods from thriving. Google, however, maintains that Android’s open nature offers developers multiple avenues for app distribution, a liberty they claim is not available on any other major operating system.

The legal proceedings in San Francisco add to the mounting antitrust pressures Google faces, including a separate lawsuit in Washington where the U.S. Justice Department has charged Google with unlawfully monopolising the search and advertising sectors.

As the trial progresses, it raises critical questions about the structure and fairness of app marketplaces and whether the current systems truly benefit developers and consumers alike.

Hot this week

Microsoft’s Copilot AI to debut on Samsung TVs and monitors in 2025

Microsoft’s Copilot AI will launch on Samsung’s 2025 TVs and monitors, offering personalised support, recommendations, and voice-activated features.

Google Nest camera and doorbell leak reveals 2K video and new colours

Google’s next Nest Cam and Doorbell may launch with 2K video, new colours, AI features, and updated subscription plans.

HPE introduces agentic AI innovations for self-driving network operations

HPE enhances its Juniper Mist platform with new agentic AI features, bringing self-driving capabilities to network operations.

OpenAI and Anthropic conduct cross-company AI safety evaluations

OpenAI and Anthropic evaluated each other’s AI systems, revealing safety gaps and stressing the need for stronger safeguards in the industry.

Asus subsidiary develops supercomputer to expand Taiwan’s computing power

Asus subsidiary Taiwan AI Cloud is building a Tainan-based supercomputer powered by Nvidia chips to boost Taiwan’s computing capacity by 50%.

Hackers exploit hidden malware in images processed by AI chatbots

Researchers warn that hackers can conceal malicious prompts in AI-processed images, posing a significant security risk to multimodal systems.

Meta accused of hosting unauthorised celebrity AI chatbots

Meta faces scrutiny after unauthorised AI chatbots imitating celebrities, including Taylor Swift, were found on its platforms.

Meta reportedly explores using rival AI models to enhance its apps

Meta is exploring the use of AI models from Google and OpenAI to enhance its apps while advancing its own Llama AI technology.

Researchers show how 5G phones can be downgraded to 4G in a new cyberattack

Researchers have revealed a toolkit that can downgrade 5G phones to 4G, exposing them to known security flaws and raising concerns about mobile security.

Related Articles

Popular Categories