Google Counter-Sues Epic Games, As Legal Fireworks Continue

When top decision makers in the tech industry are at loggerheads, the effect on the average may be unexplainable.

Video games and software developer Epic games had taken the offensive after it filed a lawsuit against Google over the latter’s decision to extract cross-platform game, Fortnite from its app store.

In a counter-attack move, Google on Monday countersued Epic Games as it accused the gaming company of violating its contract by romancing an additional payment system that sought to overtake the Play Store’s payment systems and its 30 percent in-app purchase commission.

An upgrade by Epic Games called ‘Mega Drop’, users will be able to bypass Android and iOS app stores to get discounted items by purchasing them via PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac stores, an action Google did not find funny.

But Epic Games in his defense claimed both Apple and Google are constantly seeking to benefit from it services.

But Google’s position is that there was a contract breach as the upgrade by Epic games allowed a plethora of players that had downloaded the game through the Play Store to obtain Epic’s external payment system, although the app has already been removed from the store.

Google claims by this action, Epic has violated the contract terms between the two companies as it evaded the previously signed upon service fees to Google. “Epic has alternatively been unjustly enriched at Google’s expense,” the tech giant said in the complaint.

“Consumers and developers don’t have to use Google Play; they choose to use it when given a choice among Android app stores and distribution channels. Google supports that choice through Android itself, Google Play’s policies, and Google’s agreements with developers and device manufacturers,” the complaint added.

Google further defended its assertions as it revealed that the tech company is open to the Epic’s plan to incorporate a non-Google Play payment system plan to the store users, for Fortnite, but on a condition: that it would be done outside the Playstore.

According to business technology website, ZDNet, Google had in its lists of demands focused its attention towards monetary “compensation for the amount lost from providing users with access to Epic’s external payment system through a Play Store-downloaded app”.

Epic Games had in 2018 showed an agreement backed with a court document that inferred that Google will be willing to add Fortnite to the Play Store by paying Epic $208 million and also a reduction its 30 percent fee to five percent.

Google had planned to out rightly acquired Epic Games or buy some of its shares to have full authority and stop Epic’s competition with Google Android’s store. Epic Games aware of Google’s intention brought out the court documentation to show the public Google’s monopolistic actions, where it attempts to limit customers’ choice in its Store.

Google is not the  only tech company having a legal onslaught with Epic Games as another Tech giant, Apple was sued by the  gaming company in September where Apple was being accused of illegal monopoly.