The drama surrounding Epic Games continues: Fortnite manufacturer is suing Google and Samsung for blocking competitors, Google calls it unfounded

Fortnite video game maker Epic Games on Monday accused Alphabet’s Google GOOGL.O and Samsung 005930.KS, the world’s largest Android phone maker, of conspiring to protect Google’s Play Store from competition.

Epic said it will file a lawsuit in U.S. federal court in California alleging that a Samsung smartphone security feature called Auto Blocker is actually designed to stop users from downloading Android apps from sources other than the Play Store or Samsung’s Galaxy Store, which the Korean company offers, decided to take a back seat.

Samsung and Google are violating U.S. antitrust laws by limiting consumer choice and preventing competition that would make apps cheaper, Epic said.

The games maker said Samsung’s Auto Blocker was designed to mitigate the impact of a U.S. ruling Epic won against Google in December 2023 that is expected to force the company to make it easier to get apps from other sources.

Epic said it would also raise its competition concerns with regulators in the European Union, which have long scrutinized Google’s business practices.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney called the lawsuit part of a “major global fight” to defend competition and its benefits for consumers.

Samsung introduced Auto Blocker on its smartphones as an opt-in feature in late 2023 to protect users from downloading apps that may contain malware. Epic said Samsung made the automatic blocker the default setting in July and intentionally made it harder to disable or bypass.

Cary, North Carolina-based Epic Games sued Google in 2020, saying it stifled competition through its control over app distribution and payments.

In this case, U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco is weighing what changes the company must make to its app business after a jury found in December that it had an illegal monopoly.