Google and Apple, it’s white beanie and white beanie according to Epic

According to Epic Games, whose Fortnite game was banned from the Play Store and App Store a year ago, Google and Apple have the same monopoly policy on developers. Hinting that there is an agreement between the two giants, Epic says that Google no longer aspires to attract iOS users to Android. Notably because the agreement with Apple on the Safari search engine is earning it a lot of money.

You know it, Epic Games started a titanic fight against Apple and Google. A year ago, the two giants removed Fortnite from their respective app store. Why ? Because Epic has integrated into its flagship game an alternative payment method for in-app purchases, thus avoiding paying the commission of the two firms (which still amounts to 30% of the value of transactions).

Epic claims Google is no longer looking to compete with Apple

Google and Apple considered this to be a violation of terms of use from the Play Store and the App Store and removed the battle royale, robbing it of millions of potential users (and billions in revenue). Epic Games then sued. A double battle, on social networks and in court, where the publisher claims that the two giants are only there for profit, and not to help game developers.

The creator of Fortnite goes even further. In a document sent to court and browsed by the iMore site, Epic Games claims that Google has found a balance of convenience and no longer seeks to attract iOS users to Android. Why ? Because the Mountain View firm has been providing its iPhone search engine for more than ten years. And more precisely in Safari, where it is the default search engine. This partnership brings billions of dollars to Google, which pays part of it to Apple, 6 and 8 billion according to the US Department of Justice (which also investigated this agreement).

The app market has become a duopoly where Apple and Google abuse their position according to Epic

In fact, since the two companies are more partners than competitors, they would agree on the conditions of use of their respective application stores. Relying on the fact that the commission is the same on the Play Store and the App Store, Epic Games claims that the two firms sometimes change their terms, without hindering each other. According to the developer, the mobile app market is a duopoly where the two giants abuse their power to force developers to sign anti-competitive deals.

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In an official reaction, Google replies that Fortnite is still compatible with Android and thatthere are other application stores in this open ecosystem. The company adds that the application has been removed from the Play Store for breach of the terms of use, which are there to protect consumers while being fair to developers.

Source: iMore