Google’s $147 Million Offer to Epic for Fortnite Launch on Play Store

In court, Google confirmed that it offered Epic a $147 million deal to launch the popular game Fortnite on Android’s Google Play store. However, Epic did not accept this deal despite it being approved and presented by Google’s VP of Play partnerships, Purnima Kochikar. The deal aimed to provide incremental funding over a three-year period ending in 2021 to the games publisher as a strategy to prevent popular apps from bypassing the official Android store and, consequently, bypassing Google’s in-app purchase fees.

In 2018, Epic launched Fortnite directly through its website to avoid the Play store, allowing the sale of the game’s in-game currency without paying Play Store app commissions. However, in 2020, the company reverted to using the Play store, citing reasons such as “scary, repetitive security pop-ups” that had disadvantaged the game.

Later that year, Epic filed an antitrust lawsuit alleging that its decision had scared Google, prompting internal attempts to offer special benefits or even purchase Epic to prevent other game developers from following its lead. The lawsuit also brought to light internal documents that detailed Google’s concerns and projected revenue losses if top game developers defected from the Play store.

During the testimony, Google’s position was that it wanted developers to choose Play and viewed the investment in getting games on the service as worth it, especially considering the potential competition from Apple’s iOS.

Conversely, Epic argued that Google feared competition for Android app distribution and has maintained its Play store as an unlawful monopoly. Although the deal’s existence doesn’t prove this, it sheds light on Google’s view of its games business.

Sean Hollister contributed reporting.