A thunderous announcement… then nothing. In the wake of an advertising campaign aimed at making the general public understand that everyone already has an Xbox, Microsoft today explains that the possibility of purchasing Xbox games on your smartphone and playing them directly via THE cloud will be delayed. In question? Restrictions imposed by Google… which the main party concerned denies.
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Why is the Xbox Game Store on Android lagging?
Microsoft aims to transform all connected devices into Xbox thanks to the power of its service. cloud gaming. What could be more natural, then, than selling games on the Xbox application on Android and then allowing you to play them from your phone? That's for theory. In practice, the president of Xbox, Sarah Bond, explains today that a court decision in favor of Google will prevent it from proceeding as planned.
“Due to a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts, we are currently unable to launch these features as plannedwrites Sarah Bond on social networks. Our team has developed these features, which are ready to go live as soon as the court issues a final decision. »
Indeed, Microsoft was counting heavily on the outcome of a recent antitrust trial targeting Google and its Android operating system. Found guilty of maintaining a monopoly with its Play Store application store, Google could be forced to list other application stores within the Play Store itself, thus encouraging free competition. The web giant obviously appealed the decision and therefore benefited from a reprieve, delaying the implementation of such a system.
Google in good faith
But, according to Google, Microsoft and by extension Xbox already have the possibility of selling applications and even allowing you to play titles directly on Android. The company would have consciously decided not to do so.
“Microsoft has always had the option to offer its Android users the ability to play and purchase Xbox games directly from their app – they simply chose not to. The court order and the rush to enforce its implementation threatens Google Play's ability to provide a safe and secure experience. Microsoft, like Epic, ignores these very real security concerns. We remain focused on supporting an ecosystem that works for everyone, not just two of the biggest gaming companies. »
And Jackson
Spokesperson, Google
Indeed, Sarah Bond does not specify exactly how the cited court decision hampers Microsoft's plans. Moreover, Samsung has its own application store, the Galaxy Store, which now allows you to play titles in cloud gaming. Epic, instigator of the lawsuit against Google, recently launched its Epic Games Store on Android and iOS, marking the return of Fortnite on smartphones.
A lack of clarity which perhaps simply means that, in the equation, it is ultimately Microsoft which is not quite ready.
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