Xbox President Sarah Bond has announced that players will be able to buy games directly from the Xbox app on Android starting in November. It is one of the first consequences that we know about after the recent antitrust ruling against Google raised by Epic Games.
“The court’s decision to open Google’s mobile store in the US will allow for more options and flexibility”the Microsoft executive has assured in an ad in X. “Our mission is to enable more gamers to play on more devices, so we’re excited to share that starting in November, gamers will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox app on Android.”.
The announcement comes after a US judge on Monday ordered Google to stop forcing developers to use the Google Play billing system. The ruling forces Google to open its app store to its rivals and to give more options to Android users.
Google will have to change the way it operates Google Play starting November 1 and for a period of three years. According to the ruling, Google will also not be able to pay developers to release their applications exclusively in its application store. You will also need to allow third-party app stores to access the Google Play app catalog and you will need to include third-party apps in your app store.
Xbox app on Android, just the beginning
Microsoft will now be able to sell games for Android without being obligated to pay Google a portion of the revenue from in-app purchasesas generally happens in the store. Bond did not share any additional details or information about what games would be available, but right now that is the least important thing, and what it means for Microsoft and other Google rivals such as Epic Games, which has won the case.
You already know that the judicial rulings in these cases could rewrite the rules of operation of the (multimillion-dollar) digital stores. The CEO of Epic Games described Google as “a ruthless bully who resorted to shady techniques to protect a predatory payment system,” pointing out the monopolistic power (which in his opinion) has in the software distribution for android and in in-app billing services.
In response to the ruling, Google said that will file an appeal and will ask the courts to suspend the ordered changes, arguing that “would undermine Android’s ability to compete with Apple’s iOS”. The App Store is another one that is in the pillory. It is the most profitable app store on the planet and an essential part of the Apple’s multibillion-dollar mobility business.
Google (and Apple) stake the very functioning of the large mobile application stores with these demands, nowadays essential for developers who want to distribute their games, but always questioned for their demands and prices.
Source: www.muycomputer.com
