‘Fortnite’ Maker’s CEO Fears Google Might Still ‘Get Away’ With High App Store Fees Despite Legal Setback

Last week, Fortnite parent Epic Games won the antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google. However, the game developer’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, is concerned that Sundar Pichai‘s company might persist with high app store charges.

What Happened: Epic Games had accused Google of maintaining a supposed monopoly over the Android app market, resulting in a 30% commission fee on digital purchases via a mandatory payment method. 

They had filed a similar lawsuit against Apple, although Fortnite-parent lost that case. 

In a conversation with Financial Times, Sweeney has voiced concerns that Google may provide “fake” solutions in response to the court’s decision. 

He said, “My concern with the state settlement, which I am not privy to, is that it will restore a fake form of competition which doesn’t actually give consumers the benefits of real competition.” 

See Also: How Did Epic Games’ Showdown With Google Differ From Apple? CEO Tim Sweeney Says It Was Like Ice And Fire

“My gravest concern in all of this is Google really genuinely thinks that they are going to get away with continuing their scheme,” the CEO added.  

Despite the concerns, Sweeney said that they are hopeful that the court will enforce conditions that encourage genuine competition and not just “restore a fake form of competition.” 

He said app stores could function with significantly lower fees than those presently imposed by Google. “We know that these stores can operate on vastly lower fees than Google is charging,” citing the operating costs Epic sees on its store. 

Why It Matters: The landmark ruling in favor of Epic Games changed the game for developers worldwide, marking the first significant antitrust ruling against a tech company since the 1990s. Sweeney has spearheaded this legal fight against the tech giant’s control over app distribution, expressing satisfaction with the verdict.

In an interview last week, Sweeney said they don’t hold any grudges against their former partners in litigation, like Match Group, despite their last-minute withdrawal. He said that Match Group was a valuable partner and hoped they got what they needed from their settlement.

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