Microsoft Expanding Game Streaming Service
Microsoft is set to expand its game streaming service to include thousands more Xbox games. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans have revealed that the company will soon test the ability to stream games that users own but are not part of the existing Xbox Game Pass library.
Under the long-running Project Lapland, Microsoft has been preparing its Xbox Cloud Gaming servers to support streaming thousands of games. The testing of the new Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming capabilities will begin with Xbox Insiders in November before being rolled out to more Xbox users and a wider selection of games.
The expansion of Xbox Cloud Gaming coincides with Microsoft’s upcoming ability to enable game purchases in its Xbox mobile app for Android users in the US. This move follows a recent court ruling that will prevent Google from requiring Google Play Billing for apps in the Play Store starting November 1st.
Xbox president Sarah Bond announced that players will soon be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android. Once the full game library integration on Xbox Cloud Gaming is complete, users will be able to purchase an Xbox game on Android and instantly stream it to their device.
Although Project xCloud was initially planned to launch with game library streaming in 2020 and later in 2022, the complexity of preparing infrastructure for thousands of games has caused delays. While thousands of games will soon be available on Xbox Cloud Gaming, some publishers may withhold certain titles due to licensing agreements.
Microsoft is also working on a browser-based Xbox mobile store that will offer deals and in-game items, with plans to eventually include first-party games. Testing has already begun on the web-based mobile store, and Microsoft promises to share more details in the future.
Update, October 11th: Article updated to mention original Project xCloud plans.
