Fortnite maker Epic Games launched legal action against Google in Australia on Wednesday, opening another front in its global fight against the stranglehold of tech titans on app marketplaces.
The creator of Fortnite – one of the most popular games in the world – is already locked in battle with Google and Apple in the United States, Europe, and Britain, accusing the two of unfair control and revenue practices in their app stores.
Mirroring similar action against Apple last November, Epic lodged a suit in the Federal Court of Australia claiming Google is “abusing its control” of the Android mobile operating system.
By forcing developers to use its in-app payment service and discouraging users from installing third-party app stores, Google breached Australian consumer law, Epic alleged.
“Google gives the illusion of being open by making arguments about the presence of alternative app stores,” Epic founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said in a statement.
“In reality, these situations are so rare that they barely make a dent in the monopoly of the Android OS.”
A Google Australia spokesman declined to comment Wednesday.
Last year, Apple booted Fortnite from its App Store after Epic tweaked it to avoid sharing revenue with the iPhone maker.
Unlike Google, Apple does not allow users of its popular devices to download apps from anywhere except the App Store, and developers have to use Apple’s payment system which takes a cut.
Apple and Google are also facing growing pushback from other tech…
