Xbox and Google have apparently provided conflicting opinions on whether Xbox is allowed to sell and release games from its Android app.
In October, a US judge issued a permanent injunction ordering Google to open its Android market to competitors.
The ruling, which was supposed to take effect this month, means that Google will not be allowed to block the distribution of third-party Android app stores through Google Play.
At the time, Bond promised that the ruling would mean that “starting in November, players will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox app on Android.”
However, in a new thread posted on Bluesky on Wednesday, Bond stated that while Xbox is ready to implement these new features, it is currently unable to do so.
Bond says that because Google requested an emergency stay (essentially pausing the ruling to give it time to appeal a ruling that it says “threatens Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and reliable user experience”), Xbox You can’t add the promised features until this is up.
“At Xbox, we want to give gamers more choices about how and where they play, including the ability to play and purchase games directly from the Xbox app,” Bond wrote on Bluesky.
“I recently shared our ambition to unlock these features first with the Google Play Store on Android devices in the US, as other app stores adapt to meet consumer demand.
“Due to a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts, we are currently unable to launch these features as planned. Our team has the functionality created and ready to go live as soon as the court makes a final decision. “We can’t wait to launch and provide more options and flexibility to players.”
3/4: Due to a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts, we are currently unable to launch these features as planned. Our team has the functionality built and ready to go live as soon as the court makes a final decision.
— BondSarahBond (@bondsarahbond.bsky.social) November 28, 2024 at 3:15 AM
However, in a statement given to The Verge, Google appears to challenge Bond’s version of events, stating that nothing is stopping Xbox from adding the promised features.
“Microsoft has always been able to offer its Android users the ability to play and purchase Xbox games directly from their app; they simply have chosen not to,” said Google spokesman Dan Jackson.
“The Court’s order and the rush to force its implementation threaten Google Play’s ability to provide a safe experience. Microsoft, like Epic, is ignoring these very real security concerns. “We remain focused on supporting an ecosystem that works for everyone, not just two of the largest gaming companies.”
The October ruling was the most significant development yet in Epic Games’ long-running antitrust lawsuit against Google.
Before being appealed, the ruling established that starting November 1 and for a period of three years in the US, Google:
- You will not be allowed to pay developers to launch apps first or exclusively through the Play Store.
- You will be prohibited from offering incentives to manufacturers or carriers to pre-install Google Play (or not pre-install rival stores) on new devices.
- will not be able to force application manufacturers to use Google Play Billing.
- Requiring a developer to set a price based on whether or not Google Play is used will not be allowed.
- You won’t be able to prevent developers from directing users to external payment options outside of the Play Store.
Xbox has been talking for some time about launching a mobile app store, with gaming boss Phil Spencer stating last year that Microsoft was already preparing for the date when this could be legally possible.
