Xbox says its mobile store is ‘ready’ for Android launch, but the court is preventing it

Last month, Xbox confirmed it would launch its long-gestating mobile games store on Android in November. With just a few days left of the month, however, the company is now saying that plan has been delayed.

On social media, Xbox president Sarah Bond said the storefront is indeed ready to go live but it is currently blocked from doing so due to a court order.

“Due to a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts, we are currently unable to launch these features as planned. Our team has the functionality built and ready to go live as soon as the court makes a final decision. We are eager to launch and give more choice and flexibility to players,” posted Bond.

While Bond didn’t elaborate, it would seem that she’s referring to a recent court order that would force Google to make significant changes to the Play Store, especially when it comes to opening it up to competition. Google was granted an emergency stay to have more time before the changes are required to be implemented. Now, a Google spokesperson sent the following statement to The Verge in response to Bond’s post:

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.

At issue here is the fact that Microsoft, as well as Fortnite maker Epic Games, have long wanted to offer in-app purchases within their own apps on Android and iOS. However, Google Play and App Store policies have historically had strict restrictions against this, requiring companies to link these purchasing systems with their storefronts. Naturally, this would give both Google and Apple a 30 percent revenue cut on each purchase. For Xbox, this has meant offering a web browser version of its Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming service on mobile, rather than a dedicated app.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, who reposted Bond’s statement, weighed in on the issue in a reply to The Verge senior editor Tom Warren. “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,” Sweeney posted.

Xbox, for its part, has been vocal about its efforts to expand into mobile beyond cloud gaming. It even said one of the big driving forces behind its 2023 acquisition of Activision Blizzard was to leverage the publisher’s large mobile gaming footprint, which includes the likes of Call of Duty: Mobile, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, Candy Crush and Diablo Immortal. With all of that, Xbox says it would launch a dedicated mobile storefront through which it would initially offer first-party games like Minecraft and Candy Crush before expanding to include third-party titles.

It remains to be seen what will come of Xbox’s planned mobile store and Google’s legal battles surrounding the Play Store.

Source: Sarah Bond Via: The Verge