Epic Games has won its antitrust lawsuit against Google after a jury found that Google used both the Google Play app store and Google Play Billing service as an illegal monopoly.
The result comes three years after Epic Games initially sued both Apple and Google over their practices operating their respective app stores.
“Today’s verdict is a win for all app developers and consumers around the world,” Epic Games said in a statement on its website. “It proves that Google’s app store practices are illegal and they abuse their monopoly to extract exorbitant fees, stifle competition and reduce innovation.
“Over the course of the trial we saw evidence that Google was willing to pay billions of dollars to stifle alternative app stores by paying developers to abandon their own store efforts and direct distribution plans, and offering highly lucrative agreements with device manufacturers in exchange for excluding competing app stores.”Â
“Victory over Google! After 4 weeks of detailed court testimony, the California jury found against the Google Play monopoly on all counts,” Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney posted on Twitter. “The Court’s work on remedies will start in January. Thanks for everyone’s support and faith! Free Fortnite!”
As far as what happens next, that remains to be seen. Google is likely to appeal the decision, and it seems a near certainty that the fight on the mobile gaming front isn’t over just yet.
What do you think the lawsuit verdict means for the future of Epic Games, Google Play, and mobile gaming? For more Insider Gaming, check out details on the New Game Plus mode for Alan Wake 2.
