Xbox claims Google is blocking it from selling games in its own app, Google denies the accusations

by Danny Craig · 11/29/24, 2:17 PM
Xbox claims Google is blocking it from selling games in its own app, Google denies the accusations
Microsoft

Microsoft has stated that it is ready to start selling games directly to users through its own mobile app, but has accused Google of preventing it from doing so. Google has since denied the claims, claiming that nothing is stopping Microsoft from releasing any updates.

The details:

  • Back in October, a US judge ordered Google to open up the Google Play Store to other third-party marketplace apps as part of an antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games. As a result, Xbox head Sarah Bond announced that beginning in November, players would be able to buy and play games directly from the Xbox app on Android devices.

  • In a new Bluesky post, Bond claimed that Microsoft is unable to add the planned features due to "a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts." The executive stated that the ability to purchase games has already been implemented internally and that the feature will be publicly available "as soon as the court makes a final decision."

  • However, Google has argued in a statement to The Verge that Bond's claims are inaccurate and that Microsoft is free to add the features it wants to despite the ongoing legal battle. “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,” Google spokesperson Dan Jackson said. “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.”

  • Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has also reacted to Google’s statement on X, referring to it as “deceitful.” “Shame on them. They well know that the 30% cut they demand is far more than all of the profit from game streaming,” Sweeney said. “They know this because they blew hundreds of millions of dollars building the failed Stadia game business themselves.”

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