Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, has reached a significant "comprehensive settlement" with Google that could bring an end to its five-year legal battle over Android app store policies. The deal's terms were revealed in a joint filing between the two companies, which stated that the agreement would allow them to put their differences aside while promoting a more competitive and vibrant platform for users and developers.
According to the document filed in a San Francisco federal court, the settlement is seen as an "awesome proposal" by Epic CEO Tim Sweeney. The specific details of the agreement remain under seal but are set to be reviewed by US district judge James Donato before being made public.
In July, a federal appeals court ruled that Google's Android app store was operating as an illegal monopoly, paving the way for a potential shake-up in the platform. As part of this ruling, Epic Games' victory could lead to more significant changes, including Google being required to distribute rival third-party app stores and limit its commission rates on in-app transactions.
Under the proposed settlement, these limits would range between 9% and 20%, a reduction from Google's original commission rates of 15% to 30%. The deal comes as Google has faced significant antitrust challenges across multiple fronts. The agreement brings an end to Epic Games' lawsuit targeting Google's Play Store, which was filed in 2020 alongside a similar lawsuit against Apple.
With this settlement, Google and Epic Games appear to be putting their differences aside and focusing on promoting a more competitive platform for Android users. A hearing is set for Thursday to finalize the agreement.
According to the document filed in a San Francisco federal court, the settlement is seen as an "awesome proposal" by Epic CEO Tim Sweeney. The specific details of the agreement remain under seal but are set to be reviewed by US district judge James Donato before being made public.
In July, a federal appeals court ruled that Google's Android app store was operating as an illegal monopoly, paving the way for a potential shake-up in the platform. As part of this ruling, Epic Games' victory could lead to more significant changes, including Google being required to distribute rival third-party app stores and limit its commission rates on in-app transactions.
Under the proposed settlement, these limits would range between 9% and 20%, a reduction from Google's original commission rates of 15% to 30%. The deal comes as Google has faced significant antitrust challenges across multiple fronts. The agreement brings an end to Epic Games' lawsuit targeting Google's Play Store, which was filed in 2020 alongside a similar lawsuit against Apple.
With this settlement, Google and Epic Games appear to be putting their differences aside and focusing on promoting a more competitive platform for Android users. A hearing is set for Thursday to finalize the agreement.
and it looks super good for devs! the proposed 9-20% commission rate range sounds like a huge win, tbh 
the idea of more competitive platforms & user choice is everything 
i'm hyped to see this settlement bring some much-needed change to android app stores 
so google's gonna have to lower its commission rates from 30% to like 9-20%. seems pretty reasonable i guess. but its still crazy how these huge companies can just duke it out in court for years and then suddenly come to an agreement. what really gets me is that this lawsuit started in 2020, so epic games has been fighting google for a solid 5 years now 
maybe this settlement will be the start of something bigger?
. finally some progress in making android app stores more fair and less dominated by these big players 
. it's crazy how epic games was fighting against google for 5 years just to get a commission rate of 9-20% for in-app transactions 
. that's still kinda steep, but at least it's better than what they had before.
. like, having more options for app stores and lower commission rates could really make a difference in terms of innovation and diversity on the platform 
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. here's hoping this settlement sets a precedent for other big players in the gaming industry 
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The idea of more competitive platforms is cool, I love being able to choose what apps I want to use without Google trying to dictate everything. Fingers crossed this sets a good precedent for other devs too!