Epic Games has reached a settlement with Samsung Electronics, ending an antitrust lawsuit that accused Samsung of conspiring with Alphabet's Google to block rival app marketplaces through default settings on Samsung mobile devices. The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, alleged that Samsung and Google colluded to protect the Google Play Store from competition by restricting software from other sources on Samsung devices. The settlement was announced shortly before Samsung's launch of new Galaxy phones, with the terms undisclosed. Separately, Epic Games won a related legal battle against Google when a U.S. appeals court upheld a lower court's order requiring Google to overhaul its app store policies. The ruling compels Google to allow app developers to offer alternative marketplaces and billing systems on its platform. Google has expressed concerns that the ruling could harm user safety, limit choice, and undermine innovation, and plans to continue its appeal. Following the court decision, Epic Games announced that its Epic Games Store for Android will soon be available on the Google Play Store. Investors in Epic Games include Tencent, KKR, Disney, and Sony.
GOOGLE LOSES APPEAL IN EPIC GAMES CASE; MUST OVERHAUL APP STORE – TECHCRUNCH
A huge deal. Google Play can no longer block other app stores thanks to the @EpicGames @TimSweeneyEpic efforts over the past years. https://t.co/2c8dUjzGxP
Google Loses Appeal Over App Store Overhaul In Epic Games Case - Techcrunch