Epic Games has alleged that Google had forced OnePlus out of a Fortnite launcher deal. The news arrives just as the known game publisher is suing the search giant for taking out Fortnite from its Google Play Store.
According to Epic Games, Google forced the Chinese smartphone vendor to break off a deal that would have had a special Fortnite game launcher premiere on OnePlus smartphones. Furthermore, the publisher accused that Google also demanded that another Android smartphone manufacturer, LG, also cancels its plans for a similar deal as well.
Editor’s Pick: Redmi G Gaming Laptop launches with 144Hz display, Core i7-10750H, GTX 1650 Ti, and more
Reportedly, Google pressured OnePlus against the deal, after it expressed “concerns” regarding Epic have the ability to bypass the Play Store. Additionally, Epic also said that the deal with OnePlus would have had a special launcher available worldwide, but the search giant “demanded that OnePlus not implement its agreement with Epic with the limited exception of mobile devices sold in India.”
Epic Games went on to state that the company “prevented LG from pre-installing the Epic Games app on LG devices,” since LG had a contract “to block side downloading off Google Play Store this year.” Unfortunately, Google has declined to comment on the matter, when contacted by The Verge. Fortnite came to Play Store after all such dealing fell through, but was kicked out earlier this week since it allowed users to pay for the in-game currencies directly to Epic rather than through Google’s Play Store. The publisher is suing both Apple and Google for this, so stay tuned as we will keep you updated on the matter.
UP NEXT: Xiaomi plans on launching smart refrigerator and washing machine in India later this year
