Benzinga | Oct 12, 2021 05:19PM EDT

Google Follows In Apple's Footsteps, Countersues 'Fortnite' Creator Epic Games, Alleges Breach Of Contract

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has taken legal action against videogame producer Epic Games over code in its "Fortnite" video game, which Google said breached its Android app store Google Play Store, after Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) successfully took similar action.

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What Happened: According to a Tuesday report by technology news outlet CNET, Google's filing said Epic Games activated hidden code in its "Fortnite" game distributed through the Google Play Store that broke the rules that the two firms "contractually agreed" to and led to the game's removal.

The tech giant said the video game behemoth "entered into a legal agreement with Google with which it never intended to comply" and that the actions it took "have put its own users at risk, have harmed Google, and are deserving of relief from this Court."

This is just the latest development in the legal battle initiated by Epic Games against both Google and Apple arguing that the firms are excessively restrictive with rules applied to apps hosted on Android and iOS app stores.

In particular, rules that prevent firms from accepting payments going through outside services to sidestep the high fees imposed by the firms for in-app payments have been attacked.

Epic Games initiated its lawsuit in 2020 when it changed the way it processed payments by Fortnite players to avoid the aforementioned fees. Google said the gaming giant "schemed willfully to violate the terms" of the contract "to avoid paying Google anything at all."

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Price Action: Class A Alphabet shares lost 1.77% Tuesday, closing at $2,728.98.