Way back in May, President of Xbox Sarah Bond revealed a Android Xbox Store would be launching in July during an interview with Bloomberg’s Dina Bass. It’s not shown up just yet, even though a placeholder of sorts appeared in July on Xbox.com.
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. I recently shared our ambition to unlock these features first with the Google Play Store on Android devices in the U.S. while other app…
— BondSarahBond (@BondSarah_Bond) November 27, 2024
Today, thanks again to Sarah Bond, we have a clearer picture of just what’s going on, and the reasons for the delay. Taking to Social Media, Sarah writes:
“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. I recently shared our ambition to unlock these features first with the Google Play Store on Android devices in the U.S. while other app stores adapt to meet consumer demand.
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.“
Google, perhaps unsurprisingly, disagrees with Microsoft’s assertions here, with spokesperson Dan Jackson supplying a company statement with regards to the Android Xbox Store (Via The Verge):
“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.”
The nutshell here is, Microsoft aren’t going to launch the Xbox mobile Store on Android until the court order takes effect and forces Google to capitulate. To our understanding, they could launch now, but presumably they’re not particularly keen on giving the Android platform makers a 30% cut of any sales.
Google have succeeded in obtaining a temporary stay on the ruling that the Android App store constitutes an ‘illegal monopoly’, while it appeals the decision.
For now, gamers will have to wait it out and see what happens. Are you interested in an Xbox store for mobile devices? Sound off in our forums or our community Discord and let us know!
