Epic Games Ceo Calls Google’s Antitrust Settlement A Win For Android’s ‘vision As An Open Platform’

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is calling Google’s connection successful its antitrust colony pinch nan Fortnite shaper a “comprehensive solution” that “genuinely doubles down” connected Android’s imagination of being an unfastened platform.

The companies connected Tuesday reached a colony that sees nan hunt elephantine agreeing to Android app shop reforms that see lowering fees and enabling much competition.

Under nan caller proposal, which still requires nan judge’s approval, Google will let Android app developers to constituent users to replacement costs mechanisms wrong their apps and done outer web links. It besides caps nan fees Google is capable to complaint developers astatine either 9% aliases 20%, depending connected nan type of transaction.

In a post connected X, Sameer Samat, president of nan Android Ecosystem astatine Google, wrote that nan company’s projected changes “focus connected expanding developer prime and flexibility, lowering fees, and encouraging much title each while keeping users safe.” If approved by nan court, nan woody would put an extremity to nan antitrust litigation.

Sweeney praised nan proposal, calling it “awesome,” and contrasted it pinch Apple’s model, which he said was focused connected “blocking each competing stores and leaving payments arsenic nan only vector for competition.”

Apple has based on its policies are astir protecting consumers and managing App Store security. That said, nan iPhone shaper precocious reported record gross for its Services business, which includes nan App Store — nan segment’s gross roseate 15% to $28.75 cardinal successful nan past 4th from a twelvemonth earlier.

Epic Games had sued some Google and Apple, accusing their respective app shop ecosystems of being anti-competitive, and alleging nan companies person excessively overmuch control, complaint excessive fees, and favour their ain in-app costs systems. Apple mostly won its lawsuit pinch Epic, but had to modify its App Store rules to let for replacement costs options. Google, however, lost its entreaty successful July aft a assemblage recovered that nan hunt elephantine had stifled title and needed to make changes.

After nan win, Sweeney announced that nan Epic Games Store for Android would beryllium coming to nan Google Play Store.