GamesBeat Next is almost here! GB Next is the premier event for product leaders and leadership in the gaming industry. Coming up October 28th and 29th, join fellow leaders and amazing speakers like Matthew Bromberg (CEO Unity), Amy Hennig (Co-President of New Media Skydance Games), Laura Naviaux Sturr (GM Operations Amazon Games), Amir Satvat (Business Development Director Tencent), and so many others. See the full speaker list and register here.
Epic Games has filed another anti-competition lawsuit, this time against tech giants Google and Samsung. The lawsuit alleges that Samsung’s Auto-Blocker feature hinders users from easily downloading and installing the Epic store. Epic claims that both companies collaborated illegally to make the installation process unnecessarily difficult. This legal action follows Epic’s previous legal battles against Google and Apple for alleged competition stifling practices on their platforms.
According to Epic’s complaint, the combination of Samsung’s Auto-Blocker and Google’s software turns the straightforward process of downloading the Epic Games Store into a cumbersome 21-step procedure. This complexity, as stated by Epic, is designed to discourage users from completing the installation, thereby preventing potential competition with Google’s Play Store and Samsung’s Galaxy Store.
As mentioned in the complaint, the Auto-Blocker’s purpose is to undermine the legal remedies imposed on Google and thwart any efforts to introduce competition in the Android App Distribution Market. Epic’s objective in this lawsuit is to prevent the alleged anticompetitive actions by Google and Samsung from nullifying the outcomes of Epic’s antitrust litigation against Google and hindering the promise of healthy competition in the market.
Epic’s Allegations and Goals
Epic Games’ legal pursuits include challenging the practices of phone manufacturers through antitrust litigation. The current complaint underscores allegations against Google for maintaining a close relationship with Samsung and allegedly compensating Samsung to limit the Galaxy Store’s competition with the Play Store. Epic contends that Samsung’s market dominance, coupled with the Auto-Blocker feature, solidifies Google’s dominance in Android App Distribution, hindering third-party platforms like the Epic Games Store from reaching a substantial audience.
Join us for GamesBeat Next!
GamesBeat Next is the premier event for product leaders and gaming industry executives. Scheduled for October 28th and 29th, the event features prominent speakers like Matthew Bromberg, Amy Hennig, Laura Naviaux Sturr, Amir Satvat, and many more. Explore the full speaker list and register here.
In response to the lawsuit, Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney suggested that a resolution could involve Samsung making Auto-Blocker opt-out by default or implementing a transparent whitelisting process for legitimate apps to bypass the feature. Sweeney alleged that Auto-Blocker was designed to impede competition rather than protect users. However, Epic lacks clear evidence of collusion between Google and Samsung.
A Samsung spokesperson, as cited in The Verge, refuted the claims, stating that Samsung promotes market competition, consumer choice, and fair operations. Samsung intends to vigorously defend against Epic Games’ allegations. Similarly, a Google spokesperson dismissed the lawsuit as meritless.
