UPDATE 4.30pm UK: Google has issued a response to Microsoft’s suggestion it is being blocked from giving users more choice by offering games to buy and play within its Xbox app – and Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney has subsequently chipped in to call that statement “deceitful”.
In a statement sent to Eurogamer, a Google spokesperson said:
“Microsoft has always been able to offer their Android users the ability to play and purchase Xbox games directly from their app – they’ve simply chosen not to. The Court’s order, and rush to force its implementation, threaten Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and secure experience. Microsoft, like Epic, are ignoring these very real security concerns. We remain focused on supporting an ecosystem that works for everyone, not just two of the largest game companies.”
That mention of Epic Games brought Sweeney to social media to respond:
“Google’s statement is deceitful. Shame on them. They well know that the 30 percent cut they demand is far more than all of the profit from game streaming. They know this because they blew hundreds of millions of dollars building the failed Stadia game business themselves.”
ORIGINAL STORY 11am UK: Microsoft says its plans to let users buy and play games directly via the Xbox app on Android are being held up by a new legal issue.
Writing on social media, Xbox chief Sarah Bond blamed the hold-up on “a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts”.
Microsoft had previously said it would launch the functionality before the end of the month.
“At Xbox, we want to offer players more choice on how and where they play, including being able to play and buy games directly from the Xbox app,” Bond wrote. “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 adapt to meet consumer demand.