Players will soon be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android, as announced by Xbox President Sarah Bond. This news coincides with a U.S. judge’s order for Google to stop mandating the use of Google Play’s billing system, opening up more choices for Android users.
Bond expressed excitement about the increased flexibility for players and the expansion of options in the mobile store landscape. Microsoft can now sell games on Android without giving Google a portion of the revenue from in-app purchases.
Although no specific games were mentioned, Microsoft is set to offer Xbox games through the app starting in November. TechCrunch has reached out to Microsoft for more details regarding the available games.
In addition to this development, Microsoft is in the testing phase for its own mobile game store, first announced by Bond in May but delayed from its initial July launch target. The store aims to feature Microsoft’s first-party games like Candy Crush and Minecraft, followed by third-party titles.
Judge James Donato’s final ruling in the Epic and Google case outlined changes that Google must implement regarding its Google Play operations, effective November 1 for three years. Google is prohibited from incentivizing developers for exclusive launches on its platform and must allow third-party stores access to its app catalog.
Google intends to appeal the ruling, arguing that the mandated changes could hinder Android’s competitiveness against Apple’s iOS. The company seeks to pause the ordered modifications as the legal process unfolds.
