Epic is Suing Google and Samsung Over Auto-Blocker Feature

Last year, Epic Games prevailed in court against Google in an antitrust lawsuit alleging the Google Play Store was an illegal monopoly. Now Epic has filed another lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of colluding with Samsung to make it harder for users to install the Epic Games Store on their mobile devices.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney made the announcement at X, and his company also released a lengthy statement about the situation. On Epic’s official site. Essentially, Epic claims that Google directed Samsung to use its Auto-Blocker feature to force anyone trying to get the Epic Games Store app to take a few unnecessary steps to download it to their phone.

We filed new antitrust and Unfair Competition Law suits against Google and Samsung. The jury found Google’s practices to be illegal, and we are concerned that Google is encouraging Android hardware manufacturers and carriers to adopt and continue Google’s illegal practices. https://t.co/gBRFYgripd

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 30, 2024

While the ease of downloading and using the Epic Games Store app is a big part of this, the biggest issue between Google and Epic is over the previously charged 30% fees for games and apps sold through Google Play. Epic had the same problem with Apple’s App Store, but could not prevail in its lawsuit against Apple. The Epic Games Store allows Epic to set its own prices and serve as a competitor to both Google Play and the App Store.

through thresholdSweeney told reporters that Epic did not have evidence of collusion between Google and Samsung, but that he hoped the case would be revealed if discovered. He also noted that Epic and Samsung are in talks about “whitelisting” the Epic Games Store and other legitimate apps so users can use the Auto-Blocker feature without having to go through a lot of hoops. After these negotiations broke down, a new lawsuit was filed.

“Contrary to Epic Game’s claims, Samsung actively promotes market competition, enhances consumer choice, and conducts its operations fairly,” a Samsung spokesperson said. CNET. “The features integrated into our devices are designed in accordance with Samsung’s core principles of security, privacy and user control, and we are fully committed to protecting users’ personal data. Users have the option to disable Auto-Blocker at any time. We plan to respond strongly to Epic Game’s false claims.” oppose.”

If no settlement talks are reached between the three companies, this case may return to court. However, there is currently no timeline for this to happen.