Epic Games CEO calls Google antitrust settlement a win for ‘vision of Android as an open platform’

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney described Google’s proposal in its antitrust settlement with the Fortnite maker as a “comprehensive solution” that “truly doubles down” on Android’s vision of being an open platform.

The companies on Tuesday reached a settlement that sees the search giant agree to Android App Store reforms that include lowering fees and enabling more competition.

Under the new proposal, which still requires a judge’s approval, Google would allow Android app developers to direct users to alternative payment mechanisms within their apps and through external web links. It also caps the fees Google can charge developers at 9% or 20%, depending on the type of transaction and app installation date.

In a post on If the court approves the deal, it will put an end to the antitrust lawsuits.

Sweeney praised the proposal as “fantastic” and compared it to Apple’s model, which he said was focused on “blocking all competing stores and leaving payments as the sole carrier of competition.”

Apple has argued that its policies are about protecting consumers and managing the security of the App Store. However, the iPhone maker recently reported record revenues for its services business, which includes the App Store — revenues for that segment rose 15% to $28.75 billion in the fourth quarter from the previous year.

Epic Games has sued both Google and Apple, accusing their App Store ecosystems of being anti-competitive, and alleging that the companies have too much control, charge excessive fees, and favor their own in-app payment systems. Apple largely won its case with Epic, but was forced to amend the rules of its App Store to allow alternative payment options. However, Google lost its appeal in July after a jury found that the search giant had stifled competition and needed to make changes.

After the win, Sweeney announced that the Epic Games Store for Android would be coming to the Google Play Store.

Updated after publication to note that the fee is also based on the date the app was installed, according to the filing.