Last October, we mentioned the fact that Google had just lost its standoff against justice and was going to have to open its Android ecosystem to third-party application stores. This boon for Microsoft caused a stir, and Sarah Bond immediately announced that it would be possible to buy Xbox games and take advantage of Xbox Cloud Gaming directly from the Xbox application on Android in November. Unfortunately, plans have just changed.
Change of plans for Xbox
In a message posted on Twitter, Sarah Bond explains that due to a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts to Google, the teams are currently unable to launch the features initially planned.
I recently shared our ambition to unlock these features first with the Google Play Store on Android devices in the US, while other app stores scale to meet consumer demand.
Due to a recent temporary administrative stay granted by the courts, we are currently unable to launch these features as planned. Our team has developed the feature and is ready to put it into operation as soon as the court makes a final decision. We look forward to launching these features and providing more choice and flexibility to players.
Google's response
Faced with these statements, Dan Jackson, Google spokesperson, once again affirmed that Microsoft has always been able to “offer its Android users the ability to play and purchase Xbox games directly from its application “, and that he simply chose not to do it.
Microsoft has always been able to offer its Android users the ability to play and purchase Xbox games directly from its app – it just chose not to. The Court's order and the rush to force its implementation threatens Google Play's ability to provide a safe and secure experience.
He highlights the fact that Google is more concerned about security, attacking Microsoft and Epic Games on the subject in the process.
Microsoft, like Epic, ignores these very real security issues. We remain committed to supporting an ecosystem that works for everyone, not just two of the biggest gaming companies.
Obviously, we can imagine that what really prevents Microsoft from launching its online store as is is the percentage taken by Google on each sale. Indeed, each company wishing to offer in-app purchases on Android is obliged to use Google's payment system, which involves a 30% tax per purchase.
For the moment, we will not know more on the subject, but what is certain is that Xbox's plans are turned upside down and that we will still have to wait before being able to buy games and take advantage of Xbox Cloud Gaming directly from the Android application.
Remember that if Microsoft recently offered players the possibility of playing the games they own via Xbox Cloud Gaming, this is only possible via browser, which certainly represents an obstacle to the expansion of the service and its use.
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