Microsoft is gearing up to let people buy and play Xbox games straight from their Android app soon.
A judge’s decision in the Epic versus Google case means Google must allow other app stores on Google Play, with Epic’s Tim Sweeney leading the charge. Thanks to this, starting November 1, Microsoft will sell Xbox games directly to folks. Epic showed the court that Google made life tough for any competing store on Google Play, so the judge decided in their favor. According to The Verge, it’s a bit of a mystery why Microsoft hadn’t already been doing this through its Android app, but now they won’t have to give Google any cuts from their sales.
Xbox president Sarah Bond confirmed the news, saying, “Our mission is to allow more players to play on more devices.”
https://x.com/bondsarah_bond/status/1844506029599707255?s=46&t=gp9HY1NQP1eeZxZoq0Xxsw
People think it’s cool that we’ll get more ways to buy games without extra hassle.
For now, it’s a guessing game on which Xbox games will be purchasable from the app, and this change only affects the US at the moment since Google is trying to overturn the ruling. Meanwhile, Microsoft has big plans beyond just selling games through the Xbox app. They’re looking to create a whole new mobile game store down the line. Recently, they merged the Xbox Game Pass app into the main Xbox app, hinting at more changes. There are even whispers about a new handheld device for future Xbox consoles.
