Epic Games Sues Google (GOOGL.US) Again: Team Up With Samsung To Block Competitor's App Store

Game developer Epic Games has expanded its antitrust legal battle with Alphabet's (GOOGL.US) Google, alleging the tech giant is working with Samsung Electronics to block competitors' app stores on mobile devices sold worldwide through default settings.

Epic Games said in a lawsuit filed Monday in San Francisco federal court that Google is currently seeking to maintain its market dominance with the help of Samsung Electronics. The lawsuit noted that Samsung Electronics said in July that its all phones would default to a setting intended to prevent malicious software, but also would block users from downloading Android app stores that compete with Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store, including those launched this year by Epic Games, Microsoft (MSFT.US) and others.

Previously, Samsung Electronics' auto-block feature was an optional feature to prevent malicious software. Epic Games said now it is a default setting, making Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store the only "authorized sources" for app downloads.

Epic Games said in its complaint: "The auto-block feature is almost certainly going to cement Google's dominance in the Android app sales market." The complaint also said Epic Games filed the new lawsuit to prevent Google from "denying the competition that should have been allowed in the Android app distribution market."

The conflict between Epic Games and Google stems from Google's control over its Android app store. Epic Games has accused Google of maintaining its monopoly illegally by forcing the use of its payment system and restricting access to third-party app stores. A jury ruled in 2023 that Google abused its market power. Epic Games is seeking to stop alleged anticompetitive behavior and unspecified damages.