Fortnite has returned to the U.S. Google Play Store. This follows a court order and the recent settlement of Epic Games’ five-year legal battle with Google. The dispute centered on the percentage of in-app purchase sales that developers must share with the platform.
Epic Games had also filed a similar lawsuit against Apple. The company lost some ground in that case. While a court previously ruled Apple was not a monopolist, it said Apple must allow developers to point users to other payment methods. However, a recent appeals court decision partially overturned the specific terms of that ruling. The court called some restrictions on Apple “overbroad.”
The new filing states Apple can prevent developers from making their payment links more prominent than Apple’s own. It also allows Apple to charge a fee on purchases made outside the App Store. This is a significant blow to developers who sought to avoid Apple’s commission.
The conflict began in 2020 when Epic launched a version of Fortnite that bypassed the standard in-app payment systems on iOS and Android. Both Apple and Google subsequently removed the game from their stores, leading Epic to file antitrust lawsuits against both companies.
Meanwhile, Epic Games has reason to celebrate its return to the Google Play Store. Google lost its court battle, where it was ruled to have engaged in anticompetitive behavior. The new agreement requires Google to allow app developers to point to alternative payment methods and places caps on the fees Google can charge.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called the settlement with Google a comprehensive solution that reinforces Android as an open platform.