Google + Epic?

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MAIN QUEST: Google Really, Really Wanted to Buy Epic

Court documents from the Epic Games vs Google antitrust case have revealed that Google had plans to acquire Epic Games, creators of Fortnite and Unreal Engine, and considered collaborating with Tencent to do so. This comes against the backdrop of a feud that started in August 2020 when Epic tried to bypass platform fees on in-game payments, leading to Fortnite being removed from Apple and Google stores. While Epic's lawsuit against Apple ended mostly in Apple's favor, the focus has now shifted to the legal battle with Google.

The legal proceedings have uncovered Google's "Project Elektra," a strategy from 2018 aiming to secure Fortnite as a key business asset. Internal communications from Google revealed a willingness to invest approximately $2 billion for a significant stake in Epic.

The trial, which commenced on November 6th, is set to continue until early December, with a verdict expected before the Christmas holiday period.

HUD

• 👩‍⚖️ The London Tribunal has allowed the $7.9B anti-competitive lawsuit brought against Sony last year to move to trial.

• 💥 Epic Games has announced their next major live event will be on Saturday, December 2nd at 2 PM ET. The event is titled Fortnite Big Bang and data miners have already found an Eminem skin, LEGO assets, and two new game modes — Rhythm Mode and Racing Mode.

• 💰️ Aonic acquires company nDreams for $110M, stating that having worked together since their $35 million investment 18 months ago has given them confidence they have found the right partner.

MAJOR W

• 👌 Fortnite to remove most of cosmetic gating beginning December 3rd.

• 🛠️ Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition will include the Phantom Liberty expansion and the recent Update 2.0 that fixed or reworked a large amount of the game’s issues. It will be released on December 5th.

• Harry Krueger leaves Housemarque after 14 years with the company. The Sony-owned company additionally confirmed they are working on a “new big project,” but left no details on what it is.

F IN THE CHAT

• 🕰️ Mortal Kombat 1 players are avoiding monetization efforts by changing their console’s date to when the now premium content was once free.

• 🙊 Any direct mention of skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) was ignored during a 150-minute Reddit AMA with Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer team.

• 🐍 Modern Warfare’s latest glitch called “Snaking 2.0” has given mouse and keyboard players the ability to move at normal running speeds while prone.

CAREER CORNER

• Staff Software Engineer, VALORANT Console Developer — Riot Games (Bellevue, WA)

• Principal Game Economist, Mobile Games — Product Madness (Remote, Canada)

• Content Game Designer, Pokémon GO — Niantic Labs (Bellevue, WA)

HIVE MIND

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