Epic Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google in August 2020, shortly after Fortnite was removed from the Google Play Store. The suit accused Google of imposing restrictive payment policies on the Play Store, effectively creating a monopoly-like environment. Epic renewed its complaint in July 2021 with updates detailing Google's alleged anti-competitive practices.
According to unsealed court documents reported by The Verge, Google explored acquiring "some or all" of Epic Games to resolve the dispute and bring Fortnite back to the Play Store. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney shared his reaction on Twitter (now X): "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."
Sweeney added: "Whether this would have been a negotiation to buy Epic or some sort of hostile takeover attempt is unclear. Here Google also talks about the 'frankly abysmal' sideloading experience they created, all while touting Android publicly as an 'open platform.'"
Epic argued that Google viewed its plans to bypass Play Store commissions—via alternative distribution— as a major threat. "Google has gone so far as to split its monopoly profits with business partners to get their agreement and compete with developers of competitive alternatives and has even considered buying part or all of Epic to quell this threat," Epic stated in an unredacted filing, as covered by Business Standard.
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The Fortnite creator, which launched a new antitrust suit against Google last month, continues its battle against app store restrictions. Last year, Epic sued Google over Fortnite's Play Store removal.
Reports indicate that when Epic rejected Google's special deal, the company allegedly escalated anti-competitive measures—though specifics remain undisclosed.
Fortnite was also booted from Apple's App Store in August 2020 for implementing direct in-game payments, bypassing Apple's commission. Epic remains in a legal fight with Apple; the main trial concluded in May, with a ruling pending from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
Per IGN India, Epic Games Store won't turn profitable until 2027 due to its free games strategy.
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