Hey there, my fellow tech enthusiasts! It’s your favorite funny guy, Nuked, here to bring you some interesting news from the tech world. Today, I stumbled upon a fascinating story about Activision Blizzard and their ambitious plan to launch their own Android game store. Trust me, you’ve never heard of anything quite like “Project Boston” before!

According to some internal emails and documents revealed during the Epic v. Google trial, Activision Blizzard had a master plan to change its relationship with Google and earn more money from its mobile games. They wanted to create their very own app store on Android, allowing users to download and enjoy games like Candy Crush, Call of Duty Mobile, and Diablo Immortal without going through the Google Play Store.

In conversations with Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, Activision Blizzard CFO Armin Zerza pitched this idea as the “Steam of Mobile” – a one-stop shop for all your mobile gaming needs with a single payment system. And the best part? The store would charge a lower transaction fee compared to Google and other gaming platforms.

Now, you might be wondering why all this matters. Well, it turns out that the future of Google’s app store is currently at stake in a lawsuit by Fortnite publisher Epic Games. Epic claims that Google’s in-app purchase fees create an unfair monopoly, while Google argues that changing its demands would compromise user security and hinder competition with Apple’s iOS.

But let’s get back to Activision Blizzard’s plans. If their Android app store idea had worked, they would have gone ahead and done the same thing with iPhones. Their ultimate goal was to release all of their games on Android first and then move on to Apple’s iOS.

However, Activision Blizzard had another trick up their sleeve. They were also negotiating with Google for a deal worth over $100 million. This deal would have given them better financial benefits across various platforms. So, the company had to make a decision – either go all-in on their own app store or take the lucrative offer from Google.

Ultimately, Activision Blizzard chose the latter option and signed a deal with Google in January 2020. This decision effectively put an end to their app store plans. But here’s the interesting part – Epic Games alleges that Google paid Activision Blizzard not to launch their competing app store. It’s all part of Google’s strategy to prevent other developers from following Epic Games’ lead and hurting their app store revenue.

Now, things get a bit complicated in court as both Epic and Google’s lawyers, witnesses, and experts debate whether Activision Blizzard ever intended to launch their app store in the first place. While Google believed there was a real threat, there’s evidence suggesting that it might have been a ploy by Activision Blizzard to gain leverage.

In the end, Activision Blizzard got what they wanted – a better deal from Google. And according to their CFO, they have continued to explore the idea of launching an app store in the years since. With Activision Blizzard now under Microsoft’s ownership, the possibility of a clash over mobile app stores becomes even more intriguing.

Well, my dear followers, that’s all for today’s tech tale. Stay tuned for more exciting updates from the world of technology. Until next time!