xCloud game streaming not coming to iOS despite App Store changes

Thanks to the recent passing of the Digital Markets act in the EU, Apple has had its hand forced into opening up its iOS App Store. One of the biggest changes as a result is that app developers can now with greater ease bring cloud-based game streaming services to iPhones and iPad. Unfortunately for Xbox fans, Microsoft’s streaming solution will not come to the platform, with Xbox Head Phil Spencer claiming “there's not room for us to monetize Xbox Cloud Gaming on iOS.”

Following the announcement that Microsoft is set to bring 4 of its Xbox titles to other platforms, Tom Warren (via The Verge) sat down with Xbox head Phil Spencer to discuss these recent announcements and more. When asked “is there room for Xbox Cloud Gaming now on iOS” following the recent changes to Apple’s App Store policies, Spencer claimed:

“There’s not room for us to monetize Xbox Cloud Gaming on iOS. I think the proposal that Apple put forward — and I thought Sarah Bond’s comments on this were right on — doesn’t go far enough to open up. In fact, you might even say they go the opposite direction in some way, but they definitely don’t go far enough to open up competition on the world’s largest gaming platform.”

The Head of Xbox continued, “We will continue to work with regulators, and Apple and Google, to create a space for alternative storefronts. I’m a big fan of how Windows works, and you’ve got a Microsoft Store on Windows, you’ve got Steam, you’ve got the Epic Games Store, you’ve got GOG. You have alternatives, and I think alternative ways for people to buy things creates goodness for consumers and creators. I think the largest platform for gamers, which is mobile, should have the same.”

While this statement does stray from Microsoft’s stated goal of making every screen an Xbox, it is quite clear based on Spencer’s wording that the plan is to bring an Xbox App Store to the platform eventually, allowing them to maximise the amount of revenue/profit they can amass. That said, we will simply have to wait and see.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of Microsoft’s statement? Does this run counter to previous claims? Let us know your thoughts down below.

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