Xbox delays launch of mobile games store for Android

Xbox Mobile Game Store Won’t Coming to Android as expected. Microsoft confirmed that it delayed the launch due to a legal issue arising from a lawsuit between Google and Epic Games. Xbox will not be able to launch its store due to an administrative suspension issued by the court.

Sarah Bond, president of Xbox, has confirmed that the Android games store will not be available this month, as announced several weeks ago. Microsoft, Epic Games and other companies won the right to publish their app store on Android after a judge ordered Google to open the Play Store to third-party stores. Unfortunately, this will not be possible at this time, as Google handles temporary blocking.

“At Xbox, we want to give gamers more choice in how and where they play, including the ability to play and buy games directly from the Xbox app. I recently shared our quest to unlock these features on the Google Play Store on Android first. devices in the US,” said Sarah Bond on her Bluesky account. “Due to a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the court, we are currently unable to launch these features as planned.”

The obstacle Bond refers to is the administrative stay granted by a United States federal court. A few weeks ago, Judge James Donato suspended the opening of the Play Store to third-party stores. Donato delayed a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review a separate request filed by Google.

“Our team has already created the functionality and is ready to launch as soon as the court makes a final decision,” said the head of Xbox.

Google delays opening of Xbox games store on Android

Although the operation of third-party stores is guaranteed by the Digital Markets Act, Google is not obliged to open the Play Store in other countries outside the European Union. The court’s verdict against Epic Games is the first step toward achieving this goal in the United States, although it will take time.

Google is currently facing numerous lawsuits and has already been declared a monopoly in this North American country. In early October, Judge Donato ordered him to open the Play Store and create mechanisms that offer alternative payment methods and links to external downloads. The technology company appealed the decision and sought a temporary stay until the Court of Appeal hears the case.

In its defense, Google argues that allowing third-party stores like Epic Games or Microsoftwill violate the security and privacy of users. The company notes that these “dangerous protections” pose a threat to the ability to provide a safe and secure user experience.

Given the decision to pause the introduction of the Xbox Store on Android, Google says the ball is in Microsoft’s court. The technology company said Microsoft always had the option to offer game purchases directly from its app, but chose not to do so. “Microsoft, like Epic, is ignoring these very real security concerns,” said a Google spokesperson, who did not mention that Xbox would have to pay 30% of each transaction in tax.