The US Department of Justice says it expressed concerns directors’ positions on two company boards violated Clayton Act.Two directors of Fortnite creator Epic Games who were appointed by Chinese tech company Tencent Holdings have resigned their positions in the wake of an antitrust investigation in the United States.
The US Department of Justice said in a statement on Wednesday that it had “expressed concerns” that the directors’ positions on both the Epic and Tencent boards were in violation of the Clayton Act because Tencent owns Riot Games, a Los Angeles-based video game developer and e-sports organiser.
Section 8 of the Clayton Act “prohibits directors and officers from serving simultaneously on the boards of competitors, subject to limited exceptions”, according to the Justice Department.
“Scrutiny around interlocking directorates continues to be an enforcement priority for the Antitrust Division,” said Deputy Director of Civil Enforcement Miriam R Vishio of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.
Epic Games and the US Justice Department did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment. Advertisement
“Our relationship with Epic has always centred on making great games and delivering great experiences for players and developers. We look forward to continuing to work with them on this shared vision,” Tencent said in an emailed statement.
Beyond Fortnite, Epic Games is also known as the developer of the Unreal Engine, a groundbreaking 3D video game engine.
The North Carolina-based Epic Games is privatel …
