Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., was penalized 42.1 billion won ($31.88 million) by South Korea’s antitrust watchdog for preventing the release of mobile video games on a rival’s platform.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) stated on Tuesday that Google, by requiring video game developers to exclusively release their titles on Google Play in exchange for providing in-app exposure between June 2016 and April 2018, increased its market dominance and harmed the revenue and platform value of the local app market One Store.
Google stated that it will analyze the KFTC’s final ruling before determining its next course of action.
“Google makes substantial investments in the success of developers, and we respectfully disagree with the KFTC’s conclusions”, a spokesperson said.
The KFTC claimed that the action taken against the US technological behemoth is a result of government efforts to safeguard free and open markets.
As well as other smaller businesses, the antitrust agency mentioned Netmarble, Nexon, and NCSOFT as game developers impacted by Google’s conduct.
The KFTC fined Google more than 200 billion won in 2021 for preventing specialized versions of its Android operating system.
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