Epic Games officially concluded the antitrust lawsuit with Samsung Electronics, allowing Samsung to be free from related legal risks. However, the dispute with Google continues on some issues.
Epic Games announced on the 7th (local time) that it would dismiss the antitrust claim filed against Samsung and Google in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, stating it reached a settlement with Samsung. With this action, Samsung has shed its status as a defendant, leaving Google as the sole target of the lawsuit.
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, briefly mentioned through X that he expects Samsung to address Epic's concerns, while specific settlement conditions were not disclosed.
This lawsuit was first filed in September of last year. Epic Games claimed that Google and Samsung collaborated to make it difficult to install its app market "Epic Games Store," specifically pointing out that the security program pre-installed on Samsung smartphones blocks the installation of competing app markets. Epic Games criticized the program, which is ostensibly for preventing malware, as a means of restricting competition.
Previously, Epic Games raised concerns about issues regarding the inability to normally install new app markets presented by Microsoft (MS) and itself on Samsung devices, demanding an end to anti-competitive practices and compensation for damages. However, with this settlement, the legal dispute with Samsung has concluded, leaving only the lawsuit against Google.
In 2023, Epic Games also achieved a jury victory in its antitrust lawsuit against Google, addressing Google's competitive market restrictions. The ruling stated that Google must lift restrictions on installing markets outside its platform, and Google is currently appealing this decision.
Meanwhile, Epic Games operates an independent mobile app market for distributing its games, but continues to face difficulties due to barriers related to smartphone default settings and users' reliance on app stores.