Epic Declines $147 Million Offer to Bring Fortnite to Google Play

The ongoing Epic vs Google antitrust trial has shed light on a previous disagreement between the two companies regarding Fortnite's initial launch on Google Play, including a $147 million deal proposed by Google. In 2018, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney stated that Fortnite would not be released on Google Play due to the '30% store tax' being a significant cost. Instead, the company planned to release a Fortnite Installer that could be downloaded directly from Epic's website. Epic argued in court that the process of sideloading apps onto Android devices deters users, making them more reliant on the Google Play store. An internal Google document shown in court listed the company's most compelling arguments to convince Epic to release Fortnite on Google Play, including the awareness that the install friction would drastically limit their reach. Google offered Epic $147 million to put Fortnite on Google Play, but the offer was rejected. The deal would have seen Google invest $147 million in Epic over three years. Epic eventually brought Fortnite to Google Play 18 months later, but it was removed five months later due to a hotfix that enabled direct payments, prompting Epic's antitrust lawsuit against Google. The court has confirmed that no exhibits will be made publicly accessible until the jury has reached its verdict.