Epic vs. Google

Good Morning. Netflix is doing a “Geeked Week” and offering free tattoos for people who register in advance. The catch is you have to pick from templates from one of their shows.

— Tim Rhyne, Jason Liu, Derek Neville

MAIN QUEST: Same but Different — Epic vs. Google

In 2020, Epic Games sued Google over monopolistic practices tied to its Google Play app store, arguing that Google restricts fair competition. The trial, set to begin in San Francisco, could determine how Google controls app distributions. Currently, Google Play dominates with over 90% of all Android phone downloads in the US. The trial's outcome could force Google to relax its control, allowing alternatives like F-Droid, an open-source app store to gain traction. However, despite prior legal and regulatory challenges in other countries, Google has managed to maintain significant control over app distribution.

Epic's lawsuit began when Fortnite was removed from the Play store due to Epic attempting to bypass Google's in-app billing system. Google has been accused of stifling competition by paying top developers to stay loyal to Play and by implementing barriers for apps from outside its ecosystem. On the other hand, Google asserts that these measures are crucial for balancing user protection and open access.

In a previous lawsuit against Apple over similar issues, Epic largely lost, with Apple's restrictions deemed necessary to maintain the integrity of its iOS ecosystem. However, the case against Google might have different results since Android's ecosystem is more open compared to Apple's walled garden. The final verdict from the trial, coupled with ongoing global regulatory efforts, could redefine how consumers access and pay for apps on Android.

Step back: Yesterday, Google tried to revert back to a bench trial, which was denied as Google had previously agreed to a trial by Jury. The Jury proceeding creates an opportunity where “real people” will decide the outcome of the case, which contrasts the bench trial of Epic vs. Apple.

HUD

• 🤝 Devolver Digital to acquire Seattle-based System Era. Eight years ago, Devolver passed on publishing System Era’s Astroneer, which has generated over $87 million in revenue to-date.

• 👴 Nintendo has expanded its initiative with Gakken Cocofan. Their new goal is to provide Switch consoles with an assortment of games at 200 Japanese senior centers. In addition, they will support small-scale events at the locations.

• ❄️ Blizzard’s first BlizzCon begins today. As a small surprise, Warcraft Rumble was released on mobile a day early.

• ⚡ Another round of layoffs is hitting 100 Thieves, as the company lets go of roughly 20% of employees. The layoffs mostly impact their energy drink and game development studio, as they look to refocus on esports and apparel.

MAJOR W

• 🔨 Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 4 (story spoiler alert) adds a color-blind accessibility feature and over 1000 fixes to the game.

• 🛒 Fortnite’s new Chapter 4: Season OG launches today, and its new trailer released yesterday hit at all the nostalgia with a focus on the classic Tilted Towers POI.

• 🃏 Exodia was successfully summoned twice by a single player in a best-of-3 feature match at YCS Indianapolis.

F IN THE CHAT

• 🥲 Bungie claims they will elevate Destiny 2: The Final Shape expansion after telling players “We know we have lost a lot of your trust.”

• 🔨 Payday 3 received its first patch after a very rough launch. Yet, still no changes to the progression or experience systems.

• ⏬ Modern Warfare 3’s early access to the campaign mode launched yesterday with a slight hiccup, as outages temporarily reverted players back to level 1 and prevented players who had pre-ordered the game from accessing the campaign mode.

CAREER CORNER

• HR Generalist — Activision Blizzard (Irvine, CA)

• Growth Games Marketing Manager — Unity (Bellevue, WA)

• Director of Growth Strategy, APEX Franchise — EA (Multiple)

HIVE MIND

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