Fortnite creator Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Google and Samsung today, accusing the two companies of anti-competitive behavior that discourages Android users from downloading games and apps outside of the Google Play Store.

It’s about a Samsung feature called Auto Blocker, which is intended to prevent Galaxy devices from installing applications from unauthorized sources. Samsung says the automatic blocker is enabled by default to protect users from unknown apps and malware, but sideloading is disabled.

With Auto Blocker, when users try to install an app from an unknown or unauthorized source, they receive a pop-up notification informing them that the installation has been prevented. The automatic blocker can be overridden during setup of a Galaxy device and there is also an option to temporarily remove it. Auto Blocker was first introduced last October, and Epic Games says the feature is actually a “coordinated effort” to block competition in app distribution.

“Auto Blocker cements the Google Play Store as the only viable way to load apps onto Samsung devices and prevents all other stores from competing on a level playing field,” says Epic Games.

“Epic Games” accuses Samsung and Google of having developed Auto Blocker with the aim of undermining the outcome of the Epic Games lawsuit against Google, in which a nine-person jury concluded that Google had an app store monopoly and that Google’s agreements with OEMs are anti-competitive.

When I spoke to journalists today (via The edge), Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said that he had no evidence that Google and Samsung collaborated on the auto-blocking feature, but he hoped to find evidence during the document recognition process. He also did not call on Samsung to make Epic Games an authorized source for games.

Additionally, Sweeney claimed that Epic filed the lawsuit on behalf of all developers and not just to give Epic Games special treatment. “If we had fought Epic vs. Apple and Epic vs. Google solely on the basis that Epic would receive special privileges, settlement discussions with Apple and Google might have been fruitful,” Sweeney said. “But if we did that, we would sell all the developers.”

Evidence from the Epic vs. Apple trial suggests that Sweeney was seeking a special deal with Apple at the time that would not have been available to all developers. In 2020, Sweeney wrote a letter to Apple asking for permission to add support for third-party payment processors in Fortnite. Only when Apple said no did Epic file a lawsuit against Apple. When questioned in court about this letter, Sweeney confirmed that he was looking for a special offer for Fortnite and would have accepted it even if Apple had not made the same offer to other developers.

Sweeney has repeatedly suggested that the lawsuits Epic is filing against Apple, Google, and Samsung apply to all developers, but realistically, Epic Games is looking out for its own interests.

“Epic Games” wants to force Samsung to remove the auto-blocker as the default device setting. Samsung said in a statement The edge said that Auto Blocker is a security and privacy feature that users can disable at any time. “We plan to vigorously contest Epic Game’s unsubstantiated claims,” Samsung said. Google called the lawsuit “meritless.”