Xbox plans to set up shop on Android devices if court order holds

After a US court ruled earlier this week that Google must open its Play Store to allow for third-party app stores and alternative payment options, Microsoft is moving quickly to slide into this slightly ajar door. Sarah Bond, president of Xbox, posted on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday evening that the ruling "will allow more choice and flexibility." "Our mission is to allow more players to play on more devices so we are thrilled to share that starting in November, players will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android," Bond wrote. Because the court order requires Google to stop forcing apps to use its own billing system and allow for third-party app stores inside Google Play itself, Microsoft now intends to offer Xbox games directly through its app. Most games will likely not run directly on Android, but a revamped Xbox Android app could also directly stream purchased or subscribed games to Android devices. Until now, buying Xbox games (or most any game) on a mobile device has typically involved either navigating to a web-based store in a browser—while avoiding attempts by the phone to open a store's official app—or simply using a different device entirely to buy the game, then playing or streaming it on the phone. Microsoft has been quick to expand its Xbox brand's availability outside its hardware. It made similar moves to capitalize on EU regulators' attempts to disentangle Google's and Apple's app stores through its own planned app store last year. It has considered letting third-party markets like Epic Games and itch.io onto its Xbox platform. Xbox had planned to launch its own mobile gaming store on the web in July, though that has yet to arrive. A more robust Android app/store/streaming tool could be another way for Xbox to differentiate itself as a games platform, not just a console hardware vendor. Google has announced that it will appeal the verdict in the Epic Games case and specifically ask for the remedies that would make Xbox's app more capable to be paused while the appeal is pending. In defending Google's position, Lee-Anne Mulholland, vice president for regulatory affairs, claims that "most Android devices come preloaded with two or more app stores right out of the box" and notes that Epic Games' Fortnite has been available through the Samsung Galaxy Store and through sideloading—"options that developers have never been able to offer to their American users on iPhones." This post was update at 10:54 a.m. to clarify language about the US court's ruling.