Epic Games has secured a major legal victory against Google, paving the way for the Epic Games Store to launch on the Google Play Store. The ruling follows a long-standing antitrust lawsuit and will also allow Fortnite to return to Android via official channels, ending a years-long standoff between the two tech giants.
The court’s decision mandates that Google must change its platform policies to allow third-party app stores, such as Epic’s, to exist and operate with independent monetisation models within the Android ecosystem.
The dispute began in 2020, when Epic Games bypassed Google’s 30% commission fee by implementing its own in-app payment system in Fortnite. In response, Google removed the popular battle royale title from its Play Store, leading Epic to file an antitrust lawsuit.
Now, nearly four years later, Epic has prevailed. According to the court ruling, Google’s previous restrictions violated antitrust laws by limiting consumer choice and stifling fair competition among app distribution platforms.
Despite the verdict, Google has expressed its disagreement and plans to appeal the decision.
This decision will significantly harm user safety, limit choice, and undermine the innovation that has always been central to the Android ecosystem
Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s Global Head of Regulatory Affairs
Still, the court has upheld the injunction, meaning that unless a successful appeal is made, Google must allow alternate app stores on Android, including the Epic Games Store.
