Epic Games wins antitrust trial against Google. Here is everything you need to know!

Here comes a bad day for Google, as it lost the lawsuit against Epic Games. The federal jury looking into the case favored the game-developing company wherein it stated that Google's actions violated US antitrust laws with regard to how PlayStore runs. Reports suggest that the jury has unanimously assented to the fact that Google was holding an illegal monopoly on app distribution and in-app billing services for Android devices.

Moreover, the court discovered that the distribution agreements of the company with other video gaming firms were actually anticompetitive. Its deals with device manufacturers also seemed anticompetitive.

Epic claimed in its complaint that Google paid the game developers silently amounts of millions of dollars in order to make their titles downloadable from PlayStore in "Project Hug". Epic alleged that Google paid an amount of $360 million to Activision Blizzard so that it left its plans of developing a competing app store. However, the game developer denied the offer. Reportedly, Google had deals with Riot Games and Nintendo Ubisoft as well.

Jury's conclusion

The jury believed that the actions of Google adversely affected Epic Games. Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games expressed that the court will begin to start working on remedies in the month of January. It is Judge James Donato who is looking after the case. The Judge will decide if there is a need to instruct Google to provide the developers with the liberty to bring forward their own app stores and billing systems for Android devices.

In the matter of the Epic Games suit against Apple, the ruling of the court said that Apple did not violate the US antitrust laws. However, the court ordered the company to permit App Store developers to direct the customers via third-party payment systems.

Victory over Google! After 4 weeks of detailed court testimony, the California jury found against the Google Play monopoly on all counts. The Court’s work on remedies will start in January. Thanks for everyone’s support and faith! Free Fortnite! https://t.co/ITm4YBHCus

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) December 12, 2023

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Google's plan ahead

Google does not seem to surrender. The Vice President of Google for Government Affairs and Public Policy, Wilson White expressed to Engadget that Google intends to challenge the verdict of the court. White expressed that Google Play and Android offer more openness and choices as compared to any other mobile platform. "The trial made clear that we compete fiercely with Apple and its App Store, as well as app stores on Android devices and gaming consoles. We will continue to defend the Android business model and remain deeply committed to our users, partners, and the broader Android ecosystem," the man added.

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