Google will have to open up the Google Play Store, and the first to take advantage will be an unexpected competitor: Xbox.

By knowing what will happen with Google’s appeal, Judge James Donato’s decision in Epic v. Google could change the Android ecosystem forever. Because? Because Google will have to open up the Google Play Store to competition within three years, meaning users will be able to download third-party stores from the Play Store and using Google’s billing system will not be mandatory. A very important change that Xbox wants to take advantage of.

Little games are coming. As Sarah Bond, president of Xbox, reported via X, thanks to the court’s decision, “players will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox app on Android.” That is, the application will not be a simple catalog, but will allow you to buy games. This is good news, but the question is why now?

Key: play and buy. Other companies, such as PlayStation and Valve, go no further, have Android apps (PS App and Steam) that allow you to purchase video games without going through Google’s billing system. However, these apps do not allow you to play these games. They allow purchase but not execution. Now we can’t forget that Xbox has Xbox Cloud Gaming, a technology that allows you to play games in the cloud. And it’s part of the subscription: Game Pass.

As stated by Google in its billing policy, subscription services require the use of the Google Play billing system. If Xbox’s idea is to create a universal application that allows you to buy and play games through the cloud, that is, Game Pass, it will definitely have to go through this system and the associated fees. However, thanks to the outcome of the Epic v. Google case, this is no longer necessary.

The Kindle Case. Something similar is happening with the Kindle app, which as of 2022 won’t let you buy or rent books or sign up for Kindle Unlimited. The reason is precisely this policy of mandatory use of the Google Play payment gateway and its commission. It’s possible that this forced opening will return these capabilities to Kindle, Audible, and Music users at some point.

Microsoft and its store. It’s no secret that the company is working on its own app store, which will have its own rules and fees. In the first stage, this store will operate online and will expand. Microsoft has important games like “Candy Crush Saga” and all its siblings, the mobile versions of “Call of Duty” and “Diablo.” However, their removal from the Google Play Store may prevent this, given the volume of downloads that are being moved.

In any case, this store was supposed to launch in July and so far we only know that it is developing adequately and is being tested.

Cover image | Hataka

In Hatak | The US is already raising the radical idea of ​​breaking up Google. Europe has been trying unsuccessfully for many years