New Delhi: Epic Games, the creator of “Fortnite,” has accused tech giants Google and Samsung of conspiring to stifle competition and protect Google’s Play Store from rivals. The video game developer has announced plans to file a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court in California, alleging that Samsung’s “Auto Blocker” feature on its smartphones was designed to deter users from downloading apps from sources other than Google’s Play Store or Samsung’s Galaxy Store.
According to Epic, the Auto Blocker, introduced by Samsung in late 2023, was originally positioned as an opt-in feature meant to safeguard users from potentially harmful apps. However, the company claims that Samsung made this feature a default setting in July, making it challenging for users to disable or bypass it, thus reducing consumer choice and limiting competition. Epic believes this is in violation of U.S. antitrust laws, as it restricts users from exploring alternative app sources that might offer cheaper or more diverse options.
Tim Sweeney, Epic’s CEO, criticised Google’s practices, accusing the tech giant of misleading users by portraying competitor apps as unsafe. “Google is pretending to protect users by restricting app downloads from unknown sources, even though they’ve distributed Fortnite in the past and know it’s a safe app,” Sweeney told reporters. Epic’s lawsuit comes in the wake of its December 2023 legal victory against Google in the U.S., a case that could force Google to make it easier for users to access apps outside of its Play Store.
Samsung, for its part, has rejected these allegations, stating that its mobile security features, including the Auto Blocker, are designed with the principles of security, privacy, and user control in mind. The company emphasised that users have the option to disable the feature if they choose to, and it plans to “vigorously contest” what it describes as Epic’s “baseless claims.”
In addition to the U.S. lawsuit, Epic is also preparing to raise its concerns with regulators in the European Union, which has previously scrutinised Google’s business practices. Epic has a history of legal battles with both Google and Apple, particularly over the 30% commission these tech companies charge on app store payments. After being banned for nearly four years, Fortnite recently became available again on iPhones within the EU, and globally on Google’s Android devices.
Epic contends that Samsung’s Auto Blocker is a deliberate move to blunt the impact of its 2023 U.S. victory against Google, which is expected to make it easier for users to download apps from third-party sources.
