Epic turned down $147m deal to put Fortnite on Google Play | Epic vs Google
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Day three of the Epic vs Google antitrust trial offered insight into a previous dispute between the two companies regarding the initial launch of Fortnite on Google Play – including a $147 million deal proposed by Google.
In 2018, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney told GamesIndustry.biz that Fortnite would not be released on Google Play as the "30% store tax is a high cost." Instead, the company planned to release a Fortnite Installer that could be downloaded directly from Epic's website.
In a San Francisco court on Wednesday, Epic once again argued that the process of sideloading apps onto Android devices – which involved 15 or more steps, and multiple security warnings – deters users, making them more likely to rely on the Google Play store. This was a key argument in its opening statement on Monday.
The Verge reported that an internal Google document shown to the court – a list of "the most principled arguments" the company could make to convince Epic to release Fortnite on Google Play – demonstrates that the platform holder was aware of this.
The top entry read: "The install friction is not only a bad experience, but we know from our data that it will drastically limit their reach."
Another read: "The [Play] store will still attract billions of users who will search for Fortnite and run into deadends that aren't clear how to resolve."
Evidently these arguments either weren't put forward to Epic or didn't convince the Fortnite firm, as The Verge also reported Google offered Epic $147 million to put the popular battle royale game on Google Play.
During her time on the stand, Google's VP of Play partnerships Purnima Kochikar confirmed this
Read more on gamesindustry.biz
