Xbox President Delays Launch of Xbox Games on Android Due to Court Order
Xbox President Sarah Bond has announced that Microsoft’s planned support to allow users to purchase and play Xbox games on Android in the U.S. is being delayed due to a conflicting court order. Bond recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to state, “Due to a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts, we are currently unable to launch these features as planned.” However, Bond claims that the team at Xbox “has the functionality built and ready to go live” once the court decides on the state of Google and its Play Store marketplace.
Last month, Microsoft announced that as a result of the recent ruling, it would begin allowing users to purchase Xbox games and play them directly from the Xbox app on Android starting in November. However, as we reached the end of the month, discussions on when the feature would be ready began to surface.
“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 U.S. while other app stores adapt to meet consumer demand.”
Earlier this year, US District Judge James Donato in California determined that Google must open up its Play Store and Android ecosystem to allow third-party app stores. To mitigate any monopoly that Google may have across Android, it was ruled that third-party competition, such as the Xbox app, would have to be allowed to provide its marketplace on devices in the U.S. Google would theoretically have to allow the sale of Xbox games if it’s not granted an appeal. Microsoft would be able to skirt around the Play Store’s billing system. That said, Google is looking to appeal the ruling. The court has granted a stay while it appeals the ruling. What’s not clear is what the court order means for Microsoft beyond simply delaying the feature.
Adding to this, Google has re-issued a statement on the matter. Responding with the same statement from several weeks ago, Google spokesperson Dan Jackson told 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.”
