Epic Games is back with its lawsuits, this time targeting Samsung and Google. The video game company alleges that Google and Samsung engaged in anti-competitive practices to stifle competition in the Android ecosystem.
Epic Games says that Google and Samsung colluded to block third-party app stores on Samsung devices through a feature called "Auto Blocker." The company says this feature was designed to prevent users from installing apps from sources other than the Google Play Store and the Samsung Galaxy Store.
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, told reporters:
"This is a major global fight, which is ultimately for the right of consumers to get all the benefits of competition and choose freely who they want to do business with."
According to the lawsuit, the Auto Blocker feature was initially an opt-in feature that complicated the process for users who wanted to download apps from third-party stores. Epic argues this shift forces users to navigate a 21-step process to install alternative applications, which is convenient for Google and Samsung to ultimately force users to download apps from their respective app stores.
This behaviour is a direct violation of a similar lawsuit that Epic had filed against Google. Back in December 2023, a jury unanimously ruled in favor of Epic Games in its antitrust case against Google regarding its illegal monopoly over the Android app market through various anti-competitive practices. The jury found that Google"s control over the Play Store and its billing services "stifled competition", leading to higher costs—both for consumers and developers.
Epic claims that the Auto Blocker feature was made a default setting in July 2024, which undermines the jury"s December ruling against Google"s similar behaviour.
Epic Games has been challenging the monopolistic practices of Apple and Google in the mobile app marketplace for a long time now. The company also indicated plans to raise these concerns with regulators in the European Union as well (where Big Tech is already getting grilled).
via Reuters, Economic Times