Google wanted to dismantle Epic Games, who sued it, using the classic business method
The head of Epic also reacted to the matter
As early as August 2020, a war broke out between Epic Games and Apple, and soon after, between Epic Games and Google, as Epic did not consider it fair that all game-related purchases could be made through the internal payment system of the two giant companies’ online stores. Because the developer-publisher tried to circumvent this in the case of Fortnite, it was removed from the App Store and Google Play.
This ended in a lengthy lawsuit, one of whose trials even drowned in chaos. On the other hand, the case has brought exciting details about the publisher and its partnerships to light. More recently, a document has emerged showing that Google wanted to take down Epic with a rather drastic step.
The Verge reported that was made public in a court document. A legal representative for Epic Games claims that Google intended to resolve the conflict in a business manner, that is, to acquire Epic. However, if the publisher-developer wins the war it has waged against Apple and Google, it would cost both parties serious money in the short term and the long run.
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.https://t.co/HSS1edUrQm
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) August 6, 2021
It could require other parties to circumvent the online store shopping system directly. Ask users for the sums in their own pockets. That’s why the company considered acquiring all or part of Epic Games, thus averting the “threat.” In addition, the document claims that Google has set up several internal projects to address the threat posed or is being reported by Epic and similar aspiring customers.
Epic Games chief Tim Sweeney also responded to this information on Twitter (below), citing an article by The Verge. “At the time, we were unaware of this, and because of the court’s order of protection, we have only just learned that Google intended to acquire Epic to thwart our efforts to create competition with Google Play. It is unclear whether this trial they would have imagined or tried to acquire Epic more aggressively,” Sweeney wrote.
Fortnite is currently unavailable through Google Play but can be downloaded directly to Android devices. Still, according to the document, during a search, a Google Play manager warned Epic that many people would not go through the direct download procedure because it is lengthy.
They compared to download from the App Store and the Google Store in two steps. Incidentally, Google, according to The Verge, is also a defendant in a more significant antitrust (market antitrust) case, the essence of which is that Android is a much less open platform compared to what its manufacturer claims or restricts, for example, third-party online store availability or direct downloads.
