In November, Xbox players will have the option to play and buy games directly from the Xbox App on Android, following an announcement by Sarah Bond, the president of Xbox at Microsoft. She referenced a court ruling that requires Google to open up its mobile store in the US, allowing more choice and flexibility for users. This ruling, in Google’s antitrust battle with Epic Games, was issued by US District Judge James Donato, who mandated that Google give third-party app stores access to the Play library and make Android apps available on alternative platforms. Players can download games to their Xbox consoles through the Android app, stream games on their phones with Game Pass Ultimate, but cannot purchase games directly from the app. Microsoft will now be able to offer games for sale without paying Google a commission, which was the likely reason why Xbox did not sell games within its Android app previously. Google, planning to appeal the decision, believes that developers have always had multiple options for app distribution on the open Android platform, despite the court ruling against them in the Epic Games case.
