Google has appealed a historic antitrust lawsuit ruling that could severely impact its $12.4 billion mobile gaming business. The ruling, which was delivered by United States District Judge James Donato, ordered Google to open up its Google Play Store and allow competing third-party stores on the marketplace for the next three years. This decision is a significant blow to Google's mobile empire, which has generated billions in annual revenue from the 30% fee charged to developers.

Google argues that the requested changes by Epic Games could put consumers' privacy and security at risk, make it harder for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices. The company also points out that Android is an open platform and developers have always had many options in how to distribute their apps, including sideloading and using other app stores like the Samsung Galaxy Store or the Epic Games Store.

The appeal will focus on the fact that Apple and Google compete directly for consumers and app developers, and that the initial decision failed to take into account the open nature of Android and the variety of options available to developers. Google will continue to advocate for what it believes is best for developers, device manufacturers, and the billions of Android users worldwide.