Google’s ‘Project Hug’ cast by Epic as app market power crusade

As Epic Games Inc puts on its case that Google Play app distribution and payment policies are anticompetitive, the Activision accord was presented Tuesday in San Francisco federal court as an example of the deals Google was making to keep developers in its orbit. — AFP

Activision Blizzard Inc accepted a package of incentives worth US$360mil (RM1.68bil) in 2020 to ensure its games launched on the Google Play store just as they did on rival platforms, jurors were told in an antitrust trial over Alphabet Inc’s dominance in Android mobile apps.

As Epic Games Inc puts on its case that Google Play app distribution and payment policies are anticompetitive, the Activision accord was presented Tuesday in San Francisco federal court as an example of the deals Google was making to keep developers in its orbit. Google stands to lose billions of dollars in Google Play revenue if Epic wins a ruling that upends the app store’s policies.