Microsoft Eyes Xbox Web Store after Epic Court Decision

In the wake of U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ decision in Epic Games’ litigation against Apple, I commented on NPC: Next Portable Console that I expected Microsoft to enter the fray with its own web store soon. As reported by Tom Warren at The Verge, it looks like that’s exactly what Microsoft intends to do. Commenting on Judge Gonzalez Rogers’ contempt order in the context of Epic’s recent motion to return Fortnite to the App Store, Warren notes:

It’s a key ruling that has already allowed Fortnite to return to the App Store in the US, complete with the ability for Epic Games to link out to its own payment system inside the game. Microsoft has wanted to offer a similar experience for its Xbox mobile store prior to the ruling, but it says its solution “has been stymied by Apple.”

Ultimately, Microsoft wants its customers to be able to purchase and play its games from inside the Xbox app:

Microsoft started rolling out the ability to purchase games and DLC inside the Xbox mobile app last month, but it had to remove the remote play option to adhere to Apple’s App Store policies. You can’t currently buy an Xbox game in the Xbox mobile app on iOS and then stream it inside that same app. You have to manually navigate to the Xbox Cloud Gaming mobile website on a browser to get access to cloud gaming.

Developers continue to add options to link out to the web to purchase content, but as Microsoft’s court filing shows, the biggest players on the App Store are weighing the cost of setting up their own storefronts against the risk that Judge Gonzalez Rogers’ decision will be reversed on appeal.