Epic Games and Google Reach Settlement, Ending Years-Long Fued
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Key Facts
- Epic Games and Google finalize a settlement resolving their long-running Play Store antitrust dispute.
- The deal follows a U.S. court ruling calling Google’s app store an illegal monopoly.
- Google agrees to lower Play Store commissions and allow third-party app store access on Android.
After five years of courtroom clashes, Epic Games and Google have reached a comprehensive settlement that could reshape how Android’s app marketplace operates. The agreement concludes Epic’s legal challenge over Google’s Play Store practices, which the gaming company argued limited competition and forced developers to pay high transaction fees.
The deal comes after a major legal defeat for Google earlier this year, when a federal appeals court upheld a jury verdict declaring its app store an unlawful monopoly. Under the new arrangement — pending court approval — Google will open its platform to third-party app stores and reduce in-app payment commissions from as high as 30% to between 9% and 20%, depending on the transaction type.
While the full terms remain sealed, the settlement is expected to align with previous judicial orders requiring Google to make its mobile ecosystem more accessible and developer-friendly. Both companies described the agreement as a step toward “a more competitive and secure environment” for Android users and app makers.
For Epic, the decision marks a milestone in its campaign for fairer app store economics, which began in 2020 with lawsuits against both Apple and Google. For Google, it signals an effort to move past years of regulatory scrutiny and rebuild trust with developers worldwide.
