Google and Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, have reached a comprehensive settlement in their five-year-long legal battle over the Android app store. The two tech giants announced the agreement in a joint filing with US District Judge James Donato, who will now review the terms before approving them.
The terms of the deal remain under seal, but sources close to the negotiations suggest that it closely follows Donato's October ruling, which ordered Google to dismantle its digital walls shielding its Android app store from competition. This included a provision requiring the app store to distribute rival third-party app stores for consumers to download on their phones.
The move comes as a significant victory for Epic Games, which had been fighting against Google's dominant position in the mobile gaming market since 2020. The company filed lawsuits targeting both Google's Play Store and Apple's iPhone App Store, seeking to bypass exclusive payment processing systems that charged up to 30% commissions on in-app transactions.
As part of the settlement, Google is expected to limit its payments to between 9% and 20% depending on the transaction, a significant reduction from its current rates. The agreement also aims to promote greater competition and diversity in the Android app store ecosystem, allowing consumers to access a wider range of apps and developers.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney hailed the settlement as an "awesome proposal" in a social media post, signaling that his company was satisfied with the outcome. With this agreement, Google and Epic Games are finally putting their long-standing dispute behind them, paving the way for Android users to benefit from increased competition and innovation in the mobile gaming space.
The implications of this settlement will be closely watched as it sheds light on the ongoing regulatory landscape for tech giants like Google and Apple. As the mobile app market continues to evolve, consumers can expect more choices and options at their fingertips, driving growth and innovation in the industry.
The terms of the deal remain under seal, but sources close to the negotiations suggest that it closely follows Donato's October ruling, which ordered Google to dismantle its digital walls shielding its Android app store from competition. This included a provision requiring the app store to distribute rival third-party app stores for consumers to download on their phones.
The move comes as a significant victory for Epic Games, which had been fighting against Google's dominant position in the mobile gaming market since 2020. The company filed lawsuits targeting both Google's Play Store and Apple's iPhone App Store, seeking to bypass exclusive payment processing systems that charged up to 30% commissions on in-app transactions.
As part of the settlement, Google is expected to limit its payments to between 9% and 20% depending on the transaction, a significant reduction from its current rates. The agreement also aims to promote greater competition and diversity in the Android app store ecosystem, allowing consumers to access a wider range of apps and developers.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney hailed the settlement as an "awesome proposal" in a social media post, signaling that his company was satisfied with the outcome. With this agreement, Google and Epic Games are finally putting their long-standing dispute behind them, paving the way for Android users to benefit from increased competition and innovation in the mobile gaming space.
The implications of this settlement will be closely watched as it sheds light on the ongoing regulatory landscape for tech giants like Google and Apple. As the mobile app market continues to evolve, consumers can expect more choices and options at their fingertips, driving growth and innovation in the industry.
finally some good news about Google and Epic Games settling down! 
I'm all about that fairness and competition, you know? 
Like how they're going to limit those payment processing rates from 30% to a reasonable 9-20%. That's huge for indie devs and consumers alike. 
It's all about leveling the playing field, right? 
The fact that Epic got to bypass those exclusive payment systems is a major win. This settlement is like, super refreshing after years of drama 
I'm loving how it promotes diversity in the Android app store ecosystem. More choices mean more innovation and growth! 
Let's see what other tech giants come out of this and make some positive changes in the industry 
finally epic wins the battle but who cares about the details? all i know is google was being a total bully trying to strangle competition and now they gotta pay the price 
its great that consumers will benefit from more choices and diversity in android app store ecosystem, but what about apple? arent they getting a sweet deal too? 
also why did epic have to fight this battle for so long? google shoulda just opened up their app store ages ago 
. Can't wait to see what the future holds! 
. Now, we get to reap the benefits of a more level playing field - expect to see some amazing new games and features popping up soon! 
And it's not just about the gaming space, this settlement sets a precedent for other tech giants to follow... what's next? 
. Now, we'll see more devs and apps popping up on the Play Store, and that's gotta be a good thing for consumers 
. It's also interesting to think about how this will impact other app stores, like Apple's iOS App Store... maybe we'll start seeing some competition there too 
it's not like they had a monopoly or something... anyway, I'm glad epic games won this thing 
it makes sense now that we can download alternative stores on our phones and get more choices in the app market 
guess we'll just have to keep an eye on how this all plays out 
cant wait to see what new games and features come out because of this settlement 
. i mean, come on, 30% commission is already super high lol. i'm glad epic got its way tho 
. google might not be happy but they shoulda seen this coming 
i think its kinda cool that google has to start letting other app stores on android now 
.
I'm so glad Epic Games won this huge battle against Google! It's about time someone stood up for smaller developers and got some changes made to the Android app store. Now we'll see more variety and competition in the market, which is awesome 
. Epic Games has been fighting for its rights since 2020, so this settlement feels like a major step forward for them. I'm curious to see how this plays out in the future