Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A secret, $800 million partnership between Google and Epic Games was exposed in court this week.
- Epic will pay Google for services; Google gets deeper access to Unreal Engine and will help promote Epic’s products on Android.
- Judge James Donato questioned if this deal diluted Epic’s fight for broader Android reforms.
After years of heated antitrust battles, Google and Epic Games have shocked the tech world with a secret, massive partnership now coming to light.
The surprise was revealed during this week’s court hearing, when it emerged that the two rivals had agreed to an $800 million, six-year strategic partnership, The Verge reports. Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney hinted at the news on X, calling it “spicy details from the Epic v. Google settlement hearing!”
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This story began with Epic’s five-year struggle with Google over how Android apps are distributed and monetized. The conflict started when Epic sued Google in 2020, claiming the company had a monopoly with its Play Store and billing system. In 2023, a jury sided with Epic, and appeals courts supported that decision, which forced Google to reconsider its Play Store policies and look at allowing other app stores and payment systems.
Yet this arrangement positions Epic as a high-tier Android partner. According to court documents, it’s not just a truce but a “joint marketing commitment” and a collaboration on “product development.”
The surprise partnership became the main focus at a San Francisco hearing before Judge James Donato. Court documents showed that Epic would spend about $800 million over six years on Google services. In return, Google would use Epic’s powerful Unreal Engine technology and help promote Fortnite and other Epic products more widely on Android.
That said, Judge Donato openly questioned whether this deal had weakened Epic’s position in the antitrust case. In other words, did Epic’s business interests limit the push for changes that would help all Android developers? This matters because the original settlement proposal included big reforms, like lowering fees and making it easier to install third-party app stores.
The main issue isn’t just whether Fortnite will come back to Android, though that is likely. The real question is whether this settlement will actually change the Android ecosystem or just make Google stronger with Epic as a partner.
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