Notepad: A Breakdown of the Google Play Monopole and its Regulatory Compliance with Google’s Android App Store and Storefront (Extended Abstract)
Separately, Microsoft is also working on a browser-based Xbox mobile store that it was originally planning to launch in July. Initially, the store will focus on first-party mobile games from Microsoft’s various studios, but eventually it will feature deals and in-game items. In August, Microsoft stated that testing on the web-based mobile store had begun and that it would have more information in the future.
Google’s Android app store is an illegal monopoly, and the search giant has been ordered to open up the Play Store to competition for three years. This means no longer forcing developers to use its own Google Play Billing after a jury found that Google had illegally tied its payment system to its app store. Some third-party app store are going to have to be distributed through the Google Play store.
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Developing a Game Streaming Library on Xbox Cloud Gaming: How Project XCloud Launched in 2022 and the Xbox App Launch on Android
Project xCloud was going to launch with a game streaming library. Microsoft then announced it would support your game library on Xbox Cloud Gaming in 2022, but it never launched that year. I understand the work has been complicated by having to prepare key infrastructure for thousands of games, instead of the hundreds that currently exist on Xbox Game Pass. There will be thousands of games available through Microsoft’s cloud gaming platform, but some will be held back because of licensing requirements or deals.
Xbox president Sarah Bond revealed yesterday that “starting in November, players will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android.” Once Microsoft’s work to enable a full game library on Xbox Cloud Gaming is complete, you’ll be able to purchase an Xbox game on Android and immediately stream it to your device.