Google spoke to Chinese video game giant Tencent about the ability to buy Epic Games stock or even orchestrate a hostile takeover of the company.
This information follows from court documents published after Epic’s antitrust lawsuit against Google.
“Google acknowledged that Epic may not accept its offer. As a potential alternative, consider contacting Tencent », a company that has a minority stake in Epic, “To (a) buy Tencent Epic shares to gain more control over Epic”, or “B) join Tencent to buy 100% of Epic”says the process.
Tencent, one of the world’s largest game developers and publishers with stakes in numerous companies, acquired a 40% stake in Epic in 2012. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney retains control of the company.
Other parts of the complaint, which have yet to be released, concern new information about Google’s so-called “Hug Project,” an initiative aimed at convincing top Android app makers and game developers not to give up. through payments, commission reductions and other financial incentives.
Google calculated it would risk losing up to $6 billion in revenue if more developers followed Epic by abandoning the Play Store. By him, Google has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a series of deals with top-tier companies, including Activision Blizzard, to stop them from following in Fortnite’s footsteps, according to the complaint.
In a statement, a Google spokesman said: “As we stated earlier, Epic’s claim is unfounded and misrepresents our business discussions. Android offers more choice on mobile devices for developers and consumers. »
