Epic Games sues Google and Samsung for “illegally” blocking its app store

American video game designer Epic Games brought Samsung and Google to justice, accusing them of illegally allying to block competition in the South Korean manufacturer’s devices.

In the latest version of its operating system, Samsung active, The “Auto Blocker” function prevents by default the installation of an application downloaded from stores other than those of the South Korean group (Samsung Galaxy Store) and Google (Google Play Store).

The president of Epic Games, known for its game Fortnite, Tim Sweeney, indicated that the company will file a complaint in a federal court in California, the same jurisdiction where it won a years-long legal battle with Google in 2023.

He indicated that he will take the matter to court in Europe and Asia if necessary, in the midst of a long fight to force Apple and Google to open their smartphones to other application stores.

The decision by Google and Samsung, according to Epic Games, goes against the spirit of the December 2023 decision that considered that Google held a monopoly in the application distribution market through Android, its operating system for mobile devices.

Epic launched its own “app-store” in August, which allows smartphone users to directly download content.

The video game company maintains that Auto Blocker surreptitiously blocks its new store and others like it by obstructing the ability to install apps from sources other than the Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store.

According to Epic, in July 2024, Samsung changed Auto Blocker, which now works by default, and users must take 21 steps to be able to download applications from other stores or the web.

This decision consolidates Google’s monopoly and violates the court’s verdict, he adds.

Samsung plans to respond “vigorously” to Epic Games’ “baseless” claimsaccording to a statement.

A Google spokesperson said the lawsuit “has no merit.”

Epic Games wants to prevent smartphone manufacturers from forcing application developers to use their download platforms and payment systems, which allows them to obtain significant financial commissions.