Microsoft has said it plans to let people buy and play Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android in November.
The announcement comes following a recent decision by a U.S. judge that forces Google to open up its Play Store to competitors for three years. The verdict in Fortnite maker Epic Games’ long-running legal battle with the internet giant means Google will have to carry third-party Android app stores in the Play Store and grant third-party app stores full access to Google Play’s catalog of apps.
For Microsoft, the ruling means it’s free to sell Xbox games on Android devices and let gamers stream them as soon as they’re purchased from within the same app, all without having to use Google Play Billing.
Xbox president Sarah Bond made the announcement in the tweet: “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 from the Xbox App on Android.”
Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney has said the Epic Games Store is coming to the Google Play Store in 2025 in the U.S. “without Google’s scare screens and Google’s 30% app tax – thanks to victory in Epic v Google.”
Google, however, has announced that it will appeal the decision, arguing in a blog post that “these changes would put consumers’ privacy and security at risk, make it harder for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices.” The company is asking the courts to pause Epic’s requested changes pending the appeal.
“Ultimately, while these changes presumably satisfy Epic, they will cause a range of unintended consequences that will harm American consumers, developers and device makers,” Google claims.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is working on a browser-based Xbox mobile store of its own to take on the Google Play Store and the App Store. Indeed, its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which owns Candy Crush maker King, was in part driven by the desire to boost its mobile game offering ahead of the launch of this store.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.