After suing Apple for pulling Fortnite from the App Store, Epic Games is doing the same to Google. Google had also dropped Fortnite from the Google Play Store, though gamers can still buy it on Android and the Samsung Galaxy Store.
However, Epic Games put in a new wrinkle in its Google lawsuit. In its suit, Epic accuses Google of forcing OnePlus to break a deal to pre-install Fortnite on their phones. Moreover, Epic also charges Google of forcing LG to do the same thing with their phones.
Google vs. Epic Games: OnePlus’ Fortnite Launcher
According to The Verge, OnePlus and Epic would have made a special Fortnite launcher that would install the game on OnePlus phones. When Google found out, it pushed OnePlus to abandon the deal. Google was worried that the launcher could bypass the Play Store.
This deal would have made the Fortnite launcher available worldwide, according to Epic. However, Google demanded OnePlus to break off the deal. Only OnePlus phones sold in India carry the launcher.
Google vs. Epic Games: Fortnite on LG Phones
Epic Games also accuses Google of doing the same thing with LG. Both Epic Games and LG had made a deal to install the Fortnite launcher on LG phones. However, Google stepped in again to demand LG break the deal.
Google said LG had to stop the deal because they had signed a contract with Google. This contract said LG should not allow “side downloading” on the Google Play Store this year.
Google & Apple vs. Epic Games
Apple pulled Fortnite from the App Store because Epic would have allowed gamers to pay for V-bucks directly to Epic Games. These lawsuits will force Google and Apple to deal with their antitrust issues.
