Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, speaks at the Gamescom conference in Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 23, 2023.
Microsoft will allow people to buy and play video games through its Xbox app for Android starting in November, the company said on Thursday.
The move is an immediate consequence of a U.S. judge ruling on Monday that Google will have to present alternatives to its Google Play app store on Android devices.
Currently, people can download games to Xbox consoles through the Xbox app for Android, and those who pay for the Netflix-like Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions can stream games from the cloud in a different app.
In March, the U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust case against Apple that said limiting distribution to the App Store gives the company monopoly power.
Persons:
Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, Bond
Organizations:
Microsoft Gaming, Microsoft, Google, Epic Games, Xbox, Electronic Arts, Netflix, U.S . Justice Department, Facebook, Meta, Activision, Apple
Locations:
Cologne, Germany, U.S