It appears as though the Epic Games versus Apple legal battle is beginning to grow a couple of interested parties that are currently within the gaming industry; not exactly a secret at this stage of the ongoing battle that won’t likely be further clarified until early 2021, but Microsoft has already discussed with its employees how they’re planning on fighting.
A strong stance to take, if this were a year ago; yet Epic Games already has Apple strung up in court regarding precisely how Apple operates with walled-gardens and ‘locks’ others out that aren’t willing to pony up the standardized 30% cut.
Which of the two juggernauts are going to come out ahead is completely unknown at this stage, but it appears that others are going to take advantage of corporations showing some gaps in the armor of the infallible Apple.
Microsoft has added the Xbox Game Pass to mobile and tablets in the past month, allowing people to play games (as long as they’re subscribed) almost anywhere they want without needing to download. It works generally as the Steam Remote Play tech does, streaming to a device of your choosing.
Obviously, Apple was absent from this release, as anyone offering games that doesn’t immediately include the tech giant typically get crushed rather quickly, unless allegedly large sums are offered towards the developer. WIth the Xbox Games Pass, it’s arguably turning into a massive lifeline for Microsoft, and they’re eager to get it everywhere humanly possible.
Thus, Microsoft benefits from getting it onto Apple devices; to that end, Phil Spencer stated to employees that the Game Pass will ‘absolutely’ crack the walled-garden architecture of Apple using a ‘browser-based solution’ that will allow Apple users to head to an online URL and stream the titles that they desire, Business Insider reported.
Will Apple inevitably throw a fit? Absolutely. Is it illegal under the current ToS? It doesn’t appear to be.
Microsoft has yet to make a public announcement regarding this, and will likely be displeased to learn of the leaks that may allow Apple to shore up some otherwise vulnerable aspects of their browser.
Be that as it may, Apple would inevitably begin a cat & dog battle with Microsoft as one corporation attempts to get their platform greater numbers and convenience, and the other corporation attempts to continue to lock people out of the platform.
Currently, the expectation is that we’re looking at a 2021 timeframe for such a release; it isn’t guaranteed by any means at this time, however.
