Apple has issued new App Store rules, allowing game streaming services like xCloud or Stadia to exist on iOS on one condition. Apple wants companies like Microsoft to individually submit their games as separate apps using its streaming tech. Microsoft and Google are free to create a “catalog”-style app that collects and links out to all of these individual apps as well.
This has been met wit resistance from Microsoft as they say this will lead to a bad experience for customers. “Gamers want to jump directly into a game from their curated catalog within one app just like they do with movies or songs, and not be forced to download over 100 apps to play individual games from the cloud. We’re committed to putting gamers at the center of everything we do, and providing a great experience is core to that mission.”
Following Apple’s requirements would mean every single game streamed to an iPhone or iPad from xCloud would be subject to Apple’s usual App Store rules, including the company’s contentious 30 percent take of in-app purchases. This is the same issue that is at the center of a legal battle between Apple and Epic Games, and one that has caught the attention of regulators in the US and EU.
Microsoft is launching its game streaming service, formerly named xCloud, as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate next week. The game streaming option will be available in 22 countries on September 15th, but only available on Android smartphones and tablets at launch.
