{"id":47169,"date":"2026-03-09T03:31:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T03:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/technologies\/fortnite-returns-to-play-store-as-google-and-epic-settle-dispute\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T03:31:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T03:31:13","slug":"fortnite-returns-to-play-store-as-google-and-epic-settle-dispute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/technologies\/fortnite-returns-to-play-store-as-google-and-epic-settle-dispute\/","title":{"rendered":"Fortnite returns to Play Store as Google and Epic settle dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fortnite<\/p>\n

Google will reduce its Play Store commissions to 20% on in-app purchases following a settlement in its legal dispute with Epic Games.<\/p>\n

This adjustment directly addresses antitrust concerns and will allow Epic Games\u2019 Fortnite to return to the Play Store, significantly altering the mobile app ecosystem for developers and users globally.<\/p>\n

The tech firm also introduced the \u201cRegistered App Stores program,\u201d enabling users to install alternative app stores more easily. App developers will incur an additional 5% commission if they opt to use Google\u2019s billing system.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith these updates, we have also resolved our disputes worldwide with Epic Games,\u201d Google stated in a company blog post.<\/p>\n

The settlement facilitates Fortnite\u2019s return to the Google Play Store and supports Epic Games\u2019 investment in its own Android app store, the Epic Games Store.<\/p>\n

Google said the Registered App Stores program will offer a streamlined installation process for non-Play Store apps. Approved third-party stores must meet specific quality and safety requirements.<\/p>\n

The commission adjustment reduces Google\u2019s default 30% commission. The new service fee will be 20% for in-app purchases on new installs and 10% for recurring subscriptions.<\/p>\n

These rates apply in the U.S., European Economic Area (EEA), and the U.K. Other countries will have market-specific rates.<\/p>\n

New developer programs, including an \u201cApps Experience Program\u201d and a revamped \u201cGoogle Play Games Level Up program,\u201d incentivize quality app development. Participating developers will pay a 20% commission on transactions in existing app installs but 15% on new app install transactions.<\/p>\n

These new fees and developer programs will become effective by June 30, 2026, in the EEA, U.K., and U.S. Australia will adopt the new fee structure on September 30, with Korea and Japan following by December 31. The global rollout is planned by September 30, 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe these changes will make for a stronger Android ecosystem with even more successful developers and higher-quality apps and games available across more form factors for everyone,\u201d Google\u2019s post said.<\/p>\n

Epic Games praised the settlement, stating, \u201cThese changes will evolve Android into a true open platform with competition among stores.\u201d Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney posted on X, \u201cTHANKS GOOGLE!\u201d adding that the move was a \u201cbetter deal for all developers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Epic Games has a pending lawsuit against Apple regarding its App Store commissions. Apple was mandated to allow developers to link to external payment options, a decision currently under appeal.<\/p>\n

Featured image credit<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Google will reduce its Play Store commissions to 20% on in-app purchases following a settlement in its legal dispute with Epic Games. This adjustment directly addresses antitrust concerns and will allow Epic Games\u2019 Fortnite to return to the Play Store, significantly altering the mobile app ecosystem for developers and users globally. The tech firm also […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47170,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-47169","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technologies"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47169"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47169\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}