Epic Games and Google have reached a final agreement, bringing an end to all ongoing legal battles that began in 2020. The companies agreed on significant changes to how the Android app marketplace operates, affecting developers and alternative services worldwide.
According to filings submitted to a federal court in San Francisco, Google will reduce its Play Store commissions to a 10 to 20 percent range for subscriptions and e commerce transactions. A new payment processing option with a 5 percent fee will also be introduced. Previously, commissions ranged from 15 to 30 percent.
Developers will be allowed to use third party payment systems, and consumers will gain the ability to download apps from certified alternative stores. While registration with Google will not be mandatory, certified stores are expected to face fewer security warnings.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney commented on the agreement:
«Google is fully opening up Android with strong support for competing stores, alternative payments, and more favorable terms for developers. We have resolved all disputes worldwide. Thank you, Google! Fortnite will soon return to the Google Play Store worldwide. The Epic Games Store will continue supporting Android alongside Windows and Mac, and installation on Android will become significantly easier in 2026».
He also added:
«Epic has been advocating for open platforms for a long time and this really brings Android up to the status of a truly open platform».
A Google representative stated: «We think it’s really great to focus more energy and time on building than on quarreling».
«We think it’s really great to focus more energy and time on building than on quarreling», — a company representative said.
The updated Play Store framework is expected to roll out first in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, with further global expansion subject to regulatory approval.
Following the settlement, Fortnite is set to return to the Google Play Store worldwide in the near future.
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