Epic Games Store On Google Play? Here's What It Could Cost

Alphabet Inc‘s GOOGLGOOG Google has detailed the potential costs and implications of allowing third-party app stores such as the Epic Games Store to operate within the Google Play Store.

As reported by The Verge, this integration would require 12 to 18 months and between $60 million to $137 million for building and maintaining the necessary technical infrastructure.

Key breakdowns of these costs include:

• Catalog access: Allowing third-party app stores to access Google Play apps would cost $27.5 to $66.9 million and take 12 to 16 months.
• Library porting: Enabling users to transfer ownership of their Android apps to a third-party store would require $1.7 to $2.4 million and 12 months.
• Distribution of third-party stores: Incorporating third-party app stores within Google Play would cost between $32.1 to $67.7 million and take 12 to 16 months.

Additionally, a significant yet unspecified amount would be necessary to review apps and updates from these third-party stores.

See Also: Epic Games Store And Fortnite Coming To iOS In Japan By Late 2025

Google’s price and time projections are based on what would happen if it were to open its own Android app forcing it to carry other competing app stores, such as Epic Games store. This reaction was a result of Epic Games winning a lawsuit against Google last December when a jury found that the Google Play app and Google Play billing are illegal monopolies. The final decision has not been passed down yet, but this third-party app store request was one of the things Epic wanted.

Despite these substantial figures, Google emphasizes the financial aspect is not the sole concern. The company argues integrating third-party app stores could pose serious risks to user safety and its reputation.

Google contends “ill-intentioned app stores could then intermingle the apps from Google's catalog with malware or pirated apps from their own catalog,” potentially harming both users and developers.

Moreover, Google asserts that such changes would expose Android app developers to “a host of regulatory and compliance risks associated with advertisement and distribution of their apps around the world.” Google also believes it should be entitled to collect fees from third-party app stores if compelled to implement these changes.

Google argues these remedies would necessitate “a dramatic redesign of the Play Store and Android,” adversely impacting users, developers, and the overall Android ecosystem.

Epic will have the opportunity to challenge Google’s estimates and submit a rebuttal, with a final court hearing scheduled for Aug. 14.

Read Next: Epic Games Announces Expansion To iOS And Android Platforms

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