Fortnite maker Epic Games has slapped a case against Google over 'illegal monopoly'

tech.hindustantimes.com:

In a legal showdown set to commence today, Epic Games, the publisher of the wildly popular game Fortnite, is taking tech giant Google to court. The lawsuit alleges that Google's mobile app store constitutes an illegal monopoly. If this legal battle seems oddly familiar, it's because Epic has previously faced off against Apple, albeit with less favorable results. So, why is Epic returning to the courtroom, and what's at stake?

The primary reason is that while Epic's antitrust claims against Apple went to court earlier, a similar lawsuit against Google never did. The trial, titled "Epic v. Google," is finally set to begin today, 1,180 days after Epic initially filed the lawsuit, according to a report by the Verge.

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Before delving into the specifics of this case, let's take a step back. Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, generates revenue by selling in-game items using its virtual currency, V-Bucks. Prior to August 13, 2020, if players used an Android or iOS device and installed Fortnite through an official app store, they were subject to in-app payment fees imposed by Google or Apple. These fees have been widely criticized as the "Google tax" or "Apple tax."

Epic's dispute with these tech giants began on August 13, 2020, when the company decided to bypass Apple and Google's app store fees. It introduced a hotfix update to Fortnite that allowed players to purchase V-Bucks directly through Epic's payment processing system at a discount. In response, Apple and Google promptly removed Fortnite from their respective app stores.

Epic was prepared with lawsuits and an attention-grabbing attack ad featuring a Fortnite hero wielding a unicorn-llama hammer, reminiscent of Apple's iconic "1984"