Epic and Match Expand Google Antitrust Battle Over App Store Monopoly
Epic Games and Match Group are adding new allegations to their antitrust lawsuits against Google, claiming the tech giant paid rivals to avoid competing with the Google Play Store. The updates emerge as global app spending growth slows following a pandemic-fueled surge.
Global app spending hits $65 billion in the first half of 2022, showing only slight growth from the previous year as pandemic-fueled hypergrowth slows down. Despite this deceleration, the app economy continues to expand with record numbers of downloads and consumer spending across iOS and Google Play. Last year alone, global spending reaches $133 billion as consumers download 143.6 billion apps.
Epic Games and Match Group are strengthening their antitrust lawsuits against Google by adding new claims about the company's tactics to dominate the Android app market. The companies file a motion to amend their complaints, alleging that Google pays business rivals to avoid launching competing app stores. These actions represent a direct violation of U.S. antitrust law under the Sherman Act.
The amended complaints build on previous details about a Google initiative known as "Project Hug" or the "Apps and Games Velocity Program." Epic and Match now add two specific allegations stating that Google pays or otherwise persuades potential competitors to agree not to distribute apps on Android outside the Play Store. Google reportedly identifies developers who are "most at risk" of leaving Play and approaches them with financial offers to secure their loyalty.