- Microsoft last month officially added a key feature to GamePass, its Netflix-style subscription library of XFBX games: the ability to stream multiple games from any Android smartphone or tablet.
- Notably, Apple was absent from the launch of the iPhone and iPad of the moment. Apple Play has said it does not allow apps for streaming services like GamePass or Google’s Stadia because it is unable to review every game on the platform.
- “We’re going to end up with a complete game pass on iOS,” micro-gaming boss Phil Spencer told employees. Spencer said the company is targeting 2021 for the possible release of a direct browser-based solution.
- Amazon says it is able to bring its next cloud gaming service Luna to the iPhone by offering it as a web application.
- Microsoft did not comment at the time of publication.
- aAre you a Microsoft employee? Contact this reporter via the encrypted messaging application signal (+ 1-425-344-8242) or email ([email protected]).
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Phil Spencer, MicroSft’s gaming boss, told employees at an all-hands meeting on Wednesday that the company is considering rolling out Game Pass on Direct’s iPhone and iPad, with a possible release target of 2021 for a “direct browser-based solution.”
“We’ll end up completely on iOS,” Spencer told employees, according to two people with direct knowledge of his comments. Microsoft did not comment at the time of publication. Apple has not yet responded to a request for comment.
MicroSFT last month added Game Pass, its Netflix-style subscription service, a key new feature to give Xbox and PC gamers access to a huge list of games. Now, Game Pass subscribers can stream many of the included titles directly to their Android phones or tablets, without the need for a console.
Notable by its absence at the beginning of the feature for the iPhone and iPad of the moment. An Apple Paul spokesperson told Business Insider this summer that it does not allow game streaming in apps like GamePass or Google’s Stadia because it is unable to review every game in the respective libraries related to the services.
Spencer, who has publicly stated that he is committed to offering game passes to Apple Pull users, told employees that the company is exploring moving to iPhone and iPad devices through their browsers.
Later Thursday, Verge reported that in the same meeting, Spencer said that streaming with Game Pass would also come to Windows 10 PC next year.
The hint of what it might look like comes from Amazon, which says it will bring its next cloud gaming service Luna by offering it as a web app on the iPhone. In an interview with Engadget, Luna Engineering and Technology chief George Sipolitis said Amazon worked with Apple to make that functionality possible. Google, meanwhile, offers its similar studia service through its Chrome web browser on PCs and Macs, although it is also not available on iPhone or iPad.
Apple Play indicated that GamePass or Stadia would be allowed to provide game streaming services, only if each individual title in the list was available in its own independent app.
Microsoft hinted that the approach to GamePass would be non-starter, with dozens of games available: “Unfortunately, we don’t have a way to bring our vision of cloud gaming to gamers on iOS via Pal with the Xbox GamePass Ultimate. App Store,” Microsoft A spokesman for .FT said in .Gust.
Apple Paul’s decision not to allow services similar to Game Pass on iOS became an issue during a congressional anti-trust subcommittee’s investigation into possible anticompetitive practices by major tech companies, including OnPull.
Phil Shoe Maker, former director of the Apple Paul App Store, said in a subcommittee report released this week that Apple does not allow services such as the Paul Game Pass, as they compete directly with the Paul’s own subscription service, Apple Paul Arcade.
Apple has announced an event scheduled for October 13 this week, where its next iPhone is expected to be unveiled.
Got help? Contact journalist Ashley Stewart via the encrypted messaging application signal (+ 1-425-344-8242) or email ([email protected]).
