Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, has filed a lawsuit against Google and Samsung. The lawsuit alleges that the two companies are engaged in anticompetitive practices that discourage Android users from downloading games and applications from platforms alternative to the Google Play Store.
The problem is a Samsung feature called Auto Blockerdesigned to prevent Galaxy devices from installing applications from unauthorized sources. Enabled by default, Samsung says Auto Blocker protects users from unknown applications and malware, but it also disables sideloading (the ability to install apps from third-party app stores).
When users attempt to install an application from an unknown or unauthorized source, Auto Blocker displays a pop-up warning, informing them that the installation has been prevented. Auto Blocker can be disabled temporarily when setting up a Galaxy device, and there is an option to remove it permanently. Auto Blocker was introduced last October, and Epic Games says the feature is a coordinated effort to block competition in app distribution.
“Auto-blocking solidifies the Google Play Store as the only viable way to get apps to Samsung devices, effectively eliminating all other stores from competing on equal footing,” Epic Games says.
Epic Games accuses Samsung and Google of creating Auto Blocker with the intention of circumventing the outcome of the lawsuit between Epic Games and Google, in which a nine-member jury concluded that the Moutain View giant holds a monopoly on app stores and that Google’s agreements with OEMs are anticompetitive.
In an interview given by Epic’s angry CEO, Tim Sweeney, he stated that he had no concrete evidence of collusion between Google and Samsung regarding the Auto Blocker feature. However, he expressed his intention to find this evidence during the trial. Notably, Sweeney did not ask Samsung to designate Epic Games as an authorized source for games.
Furthermore, Sweeney clarified that Epic Games filed the lawsuit on behalf of all developers, not just to obtain favorable treatment for Epic Games: “If we had brought the Epic v. Apple and Epic v. Google lawsuits solely based on the desire to Epic to obtain special privileges, perhaps the settlement discussions with Apple and Google could have led to more favorable results. However, such an approach would have compromised the interests of all developers.”
However, it emerged from the Epic lawsuit against Apple that Sweeney at the time sought an exclusive deal with Apple that would not be extended to all developers. In 2020, Sweeney wrote a letter to Apple asking for permission to add support for third-party payment systems into Fortnite. Only after Apple denied this request did Epic initiate legal action against Apple. During the trial, Sweeney admitted that he had tried to get a special deal for Fortnite and said he was willing to accept an offer even if Apple did not extend the same privilege to other developers.
While Sweeney has repeatedly said that the lawsuits Epic is pursuing against Apple, Google, and Samsung are on behalf of all developers, it is more realistic to assume that he is primarily interested in his own interests.
Epic Games’ goal is to force Samsung to remove automatic blocking as the default setting in various devices. In response, Samsung released a statement saying that Auto Blocker is a security and privacy feature that users can turn off at their discretion. The South Koreans have also expressed their intention to vigorously dispute Epic Games’ unfounded claims. Google also called the lawsuit “baseless.”
