Highlights
- Epic rejected a lucrative deal with Google to bring Fortnite to the Google Play Store, potentially earning over a hundred million dollars.
- Epic chose to launch Fortnite for Android outside of the Play Store, prompting Google to offer a $147 million deal to prevent a developer exodus.
- Google feared losing billions in revenue if other big developers and publishers followed Epic’s decision to leave the Play Store.
- Former Google Play Games head Lawrence Koh testified that Google felt the investment in Epic was “worth all the dollars.”
Epic’s Rejection of Google’s Offer
Epic rejected a deal with Google to bring Fortnite to the Google Play Store, potentially earning a lucrative nine-figure payday.
Showdown Over Play Store Fees
An ongoing trial between Google and Epic has revealed Google’s offer of $147 million to Epic over a three-year period to bring Fortnite to the Play Store, after Epic chose to offer the game’s download file directly on its own website.
Triggering Google’s Offer
Google reportedly offered the $147 million deal to Epic because it feared Epic’s choice to launch outside of the Play Store could have a negative impact on other developers, causing a large developer exodus that would result in huge revenue losses for Google.
Google’s Fears and Investment
Google feared it could lose up to $3.6 billion if other developers followed Epic in leaving the Play Store. Lawrence Koh, former Google Play Games head, testified that Google felt the investment was “worth all the dollars” and was just trying to get games on the Google Play service.
