Starting in November, Xbox owners in the United States will be able to purchase and play games directly in the Xbox App on Android devices. Previously blocked from doing so, the change is coming because of the ongoing legal war Epic Games has been waging against Google and Apple.
Google has been on the backfoot in the legal battle since losing a monopoly case to Epic in December of 2023. Losing that case opened up the door for developers to open their own app stores on the Android operating system.
Earlier this week, a US judge issued a permanent injunction against Google that would force the company to open the app store up allowing for alternatives for downloading apps. Google has already said that they plan to appeal the verdict.
"The Epic verdict missed the obvious: Apple and Android clearly compete," wrote Google spokesperson Lee-Anne Mulholland in a blog post. "We will appeal and ask the courts to pause implementing the remedies to maintain a consistent and safe experience for users and developers as the legal process moves forward."
The court's ruling to open up Google´s mobile store in the US will allow more choice and flexibility. Our mission is to allow more players to play on more devices so we are thrilled to share that starting in November, players will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly…October 10, 2024
Meanwhile, the door has been kicked open allowing Microsoft to let gamers purchase Xbox games on Android devices. They would then be able to stream the games via the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform.
"The court's ruling to open up Google's mobile store in the US will allow more choice and flexibility," said Xbox president Sarah Bond on X. "Our mission is to allow more players to play on more devices so we are thrilled to share that starting in November, players will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android."
Microsoft has been working on an Xbox Moibile Store, confirming plans in May, that was supposed to launch in July. That time has come and gone and the mobile store remains "coming soon." The mobile store website that popped up in June still says that the company is working on it.
The court's ruling to open up Google's mobile store in the US will allow more choice and flexibility.
Xbox President Sarah Bond
"Your support is invaluable to us, and we ask for your patience as we prepare for the public release. Stay connected with Xbox for further updates."
It's unclear if Bond is referring to the mobile game store in her post or just the main Xbox app. Clearly, though, the recent Google ruling has potentially moved up timelines for Xbox to release something that allows players to purchase games on their Android device.
Google has spent much of 2024 struggling with major lawsuits chipping away at the company's various businesses and accusations of monopolistic behavior. This same week it was reported that the Justice Department is heavily considering asking a federal judge to break up the company. Meaning that Alphabet, Google's parent company, would have to sell off portions of its business including Chrome, Android and more.
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