Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite and Unreal Engine, has struck a massive deal with Google worth $800 million. The partnership includes "joint product development, joint marketing commitment, and joint partnerships." According to sources, Epic will spend $800 million over six years purchasing some services from Google.
In a hearing in San Francisco today, California District Judge James Donato expressed concerns that the agreement could have led Epic to soften its demands for changes to the Android ecosystem. The judge quizzed witnesses on how this partnership might impact settlement talks between Epic and Google.
During the hearing, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney revealed some details about the deal. He said it relates to the "metaverse," a term he has used to describe his company's vision for Fortnite. However, he emphasized that Epic and Google are each separately building product lines.
Epic is currently backing a settlement that would see Google reduce its standard app store fees worldwide and allow alternative app stores to register for easy installation on Android. The judge questioned whether the partnership could be seen as a "quid pro quo" that reduced Epic's incentive to push for terms beneficial to other developers.
Sweeney disputed this notion, saying Epic is paying Google to encourage more robust competition in the industry. He also stated that the deal does not guarantee any special treatment from Android for the Epic Games Store.
The settlement arrangement appears to be tied to the business deal. Sweeney said he expects the specific terms of the agreement to be reached soon and considers it an important part of Epic's growth plan.
In a surprising twist, the partnership could have significant implications for developers in the industry. With Google's dominant market share on Android, this deal has raised eyebrows among antitrust experts.
In a hearing in San Francisco today, California District Judge James Donato expressed concerns that the agreement could have led Epic to soften its demands for changes to the Android ecosystem. The judge quizzed witnesses on how this partnership might impact settlement talks between Epic and Google.
During the hearing, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney revealed some details about the deal. He said it relates to the "metaverse," a term he has used to describe his company's vision for Fortnite. However, he emphasized that Epic and Google are each separately building product lines.
Epic is currently backing a settlement that would see Google reduce its standard app store fees worldwide and allow alternative app stores to register for easy installation on Android. The judge questioned whether the partnership could be seen as a "quid pro quo" that reduced Epic's incentive to push for terms beneficial to other developers.
Sweeney disputed this notion, saying Epic is paying Google to encourage more robust competition in the industry. He also stated that the deal does not guarantee any special treatment from Android for the Epic Games Store.
The settlement arrangement appears to be tied to the business deal. Sweeney said he expects the specific terms of the agreement to be reached soon and considers it an important part of Epic's growth plan.
In a surprising twist, the partnership could have significant implications for developers in the industry. With Google's dominant market share on Android, this deal has raised eyebrows among antitrust experts.
can't believe epic games landed such a massive deal with google! $800 million is insane 
but i'm hyped to see what comes out of it 
tim sweeney's vision for the metaverse sounds so cool 
and it's awesome that epic is taking on google in their efforts to create more competition 
can't wait to see how this all plays out 
. It seems like Epic is getting a pretty sweet deal out of this partnership, and it's hard to see how giving Google $800 million every six years wouldn't be seen as some kind of quid pro quo in return for softening their stance on Android fees 
And it's not just a one-time payment, either - they're committing to spend another $800 million over the next 6 years. That's some serious cash! 
And if Epic can make it happen with Google's help... well, that's just lit! 
... like, think about this... $800 million and it's just to "encourage competition" 
). Epic is basically throwing Google a bone to get them on board with their settlement plans, but at what cost? It seems like Google gets all the benefits and Epic gets nothing in return 
What if this partnership is just a way for Google to keep their grip on the Android market tighter? 
But on the other hand, I'm a bit concerned about the implications for competition 
. If Google's dominant market share is getting stronger with this deal, does it mean smaller devs like Epic are gonna get pushed out of the app store? 
.