Fresh from its fight with Google, Epic Games is taking on Samsung.
The games developer is accusing the tech giant of making it harder for Samsung phone owners to download its apps.
At the beginning of the year, Epic Games was still involved in a long-running battle with Apple over in-app purchases, but the feisty company is now gearing up again for another fight.
A History Fraught With Legal Battles
This latest fight is a follow-on from a multimillion-dollar battle between Epic Games and Google. In December last year, a jury in San Francisco determined that Google had been stifling competition for its app store.
As Wired reported: “Epic Games had accused Google of restricting smartphone makers, wireless carriers, and app developers from providing any competition to the Play store, which accounts for over 95 percent of all downloads onto Android phones in the US.” The case was first filed in 2020.
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Exactly what the cost will be to Google has yet to be determined, but The Verge writes: “Google says the reputational damage can’t be calculated – but that it’d take 12 to 18 months and upwards of $60 million to build and maintain the technical underpinnings [to fulfil Epic’s demands].”
Conspiracy Theories
Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, has launched this latest battle, arguing that phone manufacturers – in this case, Samsung – are still making it tricky for gamers to use alternative marketplaces.
More than that – Sweeney is accusing Samsung of conspiring with Google to block out his company, and others like it.
The grievance is based around the Samsung Auto Blocker, which is a feature on some newer Samsung phone models. Samsung argues this is there to protect users against “applications from unauthorized sources” and “malicious activity.” However, the Fortnite developer says that it just makes it harder for users to install its games.
Wired reports that it takes the process from 15 to 21 steps, which Epic Games argues will put some users off. “It is not about reasonable measures to protect users against malware,” Sweeney told reporters ahead of the lawsuit filing. “It’s about obstruction of competition.” He added: “We are going to continue to fight until there is a level playing field.”
Samsung Denies Foul Play
Samsung, however, is denying any wrongdoing. In a statement, it said: “Contrary to Epic Game’s assertions, Samsung actively fosters market competition, enhances consumer choice, and conducts its operations fairly.
“The features integrated into our devices are designed in accordance with Samsung’s core principles of security, privacy, and user control, and we remain fully committed to safeguarding users’ personal data. Users have the choice to disable Auto Blocker at any time. We plan to vigorously contest Epic Game’s baseless claims.”
