Epic has paid Google for a secret marketing deal that cost it nearly a billion dollars. It’s the kind of thing you wouldn’t think you’d be reading about, given the history between the two companies over the past few years. Ever since Epic tried to skirt around Google and Apple’s Play Store and App Store fees with Fortnite, it’s been locked in court battles with both companies, trying to change the way things work. In late 2025, Epic finally came to an agreement with Google and settled its case, although it still has to be approved by Judge James Donato.
The settlement included several changes. Not the least of which was Google allowing third-party app stores on the Play Store. It also included key changes for app developers that would allow them to link to outside payment methods as opposed to having them go through the Play Store. Another part of the settlement apparently included a deal that both companies made, which has been hush, hush up until this week’s hearing.
Epic has a secret marketing deal with Google that cost it $800 Million
As reported by The Verge (via 9To5Google), Epic and Google’s new marketing deal is secret, with next to nothing known about it. During the hearing on January 23, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney reportedly mentioned the deal briefly, saying that it had something to do with the metaverse. That’s all Sweeney says about what the deal actually is, before commenting about it. In his comment, Sweeney says “Epic’s technology is used by many companies in the space Google is operating in to train their products, so the ability for Google to use the Unreal Engine more fullsome… sorry, I’m blowing this confidentiality.”
Other than that, there are a few other things known about the deal. It cost $800 million, for starters. Epic was the one that paid, and the deal will help Google market the Android operating system. Google and Epic are also reportedly building separate product lines for this deal, but they plan to work together.
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