Google embraces third party app stores and payments to put Epic Games case behind it

Google has spelled out changes it will make to the fees it charges developers who use its app store and payment services, and says they represent the end of its long legal battle with Epic Games.

Epic Games’ beef with Google (and a parallel case against Apple) centred on its desire to offer users the chance to buy in-game objects directly, rather than through app stores. Google and Apple, the world’s dominant app store operators, take a hefty cut from in-app purchases and each item sold in their online software marts. Epic wanted the chance to sell its wares direct, or to use third-party app stores and payment services that charge less than Google or Apple.

The outcomes of those cases are complex, and a proposed settlement in Google’s case with Epic awaits judicial signoff. However, between court rulings against Apple and Google, and governments around the world ...