Epic Games Accuses Samsung, Google of Scheme to Block App Rivals

 Fortnite game installing on Android operating system in this illustration taken, May 2, 2021. (Reuters)
Fortnite game installing on Android operating system in this illustration taken, May 2, 2021. (Reuters)
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Epic Games Accuses Samsung, Google of Scheme to Block App Rivals

 Fortnite game installing on Android operating system in this illustration taken, May 2, 2021. (Reuters)
Fortnite game installing on Android operating system in this illustration taken, May 2, 2021. (Reuters)

“Fortnite” video game maker Epic Games on Monday accused Alphabet’s Google and Samsung, the world’s largest Android phone manufacturer, of conspiring to protect Google’s Play store from competition.

Epic said it would file a lawsuit in US federal court in California alleging that a Samsung smartphone security feature called Auto Blocker was in truth intended to deter users from downloading Android apps from sources other than the Play store or Samsung's Galaxy store, which the Korean company elected to put on the back burner.

Samsung and Google are violating US antitrust law by reducing consumer choice and preventing competition that would make apps less expensive, Epic said.

The game company said Samsung's Auto Blocker was designed to blunt the impact of a US verdict that Epic won against Google in December 2023 that is expected to force the company to make apps easier to obtain from other sources.

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

Epic Chief Executive 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 in late 2023 as an opt-in feature to protect users from downloading apps that may contain malware. Epic said Samsung made Auto Blocker the default setting in July and intentionally made it difficult to disable or bypass.

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

In that case, US District Judge James Donato in San Francisco is weighing what changes the company must make to its app business after the jury's December finding that it held an illegal monopoly.



Musk Says Tesla, Samsung Electronics Sign $16.5 Billion Chip Supply Deal 

The Tesla logo is seen at the company's stand during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) at the Shanghai World Expo and Convention Center in Shanghai on July 28, 2025. (AFP) 
The Tesla logo is seen at the company's stand during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) at the Shanghai World Expo and Convention Center in Shanghai on July 28, 2025. (AFP) 
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Musk Says Tesla, Samsung Electronics Sign $16.5 Billion Chip Supply Deal 

The Tesla logo is seen at the company's stand during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) at the Shanghai World Expo and Convention Center in Shanghai on July 28, 2025. (AFP) 
The Tesla logo is seen at the company's stand during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) at the Shanghai World Expo and Convention Center in Shanghai on July 28, 2025. (AFP) 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the US automaker had signed a $16.5 billion deal to source chips from Samsung Electronics, a move expected to bolster the South Korean tech giant's loss-making contract manufacturing business.

Samsung shares rose more than 4% after the news.

"Samsung's giant new Texas fab will be dedicated to making Tesla's next-generation AI6 chip. The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate," Musk said in a post on X on Monday.

If Musk was referring to Samsung's upcoming Taylor, Texas, plant, the deal could revive the project that has faced delays amid Samsung's struggles to retain and win major customers.

"Samsung agreed to allow Tesla to assist in maximizing manufacturing efficiency. This is a critical point, as I will walk the line personally to accelerate the pace of progress. And the fab is conveniently located not far from my house," Musk said on his social media platform.

Samsung had earlier announced the $16.5 billion chip supply deal without naming the client, saying the customer had requested confidentiality about the details of the deal, which will run through the end of 2033.

Three sources briefed about the matter told Reuters that Tesla was the customer for the deal.

The deal comes as Samsung faces mounting pressure in the race to produce artificial intelligence chips, where it trails rivals such as TSMC and SK Hynix. This lag has weighed heavily on its profits and share price.

Samsung, the world's top memory chip maker, also makes logic chips designed by customers through its foundry business.

Pak Yuak, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities, said the latest deal would help reduce losses at Samsung's foundry business, which he estimated exceeded 5 trillion won ($3.63 billion) in the first half of the year.

Analysts say Samsung has struggled with the defection of key clients to TSMC for advanced chips. TSMC counts Apple, Nvidia and Qualcomm among its customers.

The Samsung-Tesla deal may also be significant for South Korea, which is seeking US partnerships in chips and shipbuilding amid last-ditch efforts to reach a trade deal to eliminate or reduce potential 25% US tariffs.

Samsung is grappling to boost production yields of its latest 2-nanometer technology, but the order is unlikely to involve the cutting-edge tech, said Lee Min-hee, an analyst at BNK Investment & Securities.

Samsung has been losing market share to TSMC in contract manufacturing, underscoring technological challenges the firm faces in mastering advanced chip manufacturing to attract clients like Apple and Nvidia, analysts said.