After many months (and even years) of struggling to strictly control the various applications available on its Store, Apple finally had to give way to facilitate the deployment of applications, particularly in terms of Cloud Gaming. It was following these new regulations that Epic Games was finally able to release its application and put Fortnite back online. But Apple clearly continues to put obstacles in the way of certain companies like Microsoft.
Xbox Cloud Gaming still struggling on iOS
Apple complied with the requirements and authorized the deployment of Cloud Gaming applications on its various stores. However, the company does not intend to make things easy for its Apple Arcade competitors. In an investigation conducted by the UK Competition and Markets Authority, which provided an update on mobile browsers and cloud gaming, Microsoft accused Apple of doing everything it could to make it impossible for Cloud Gaming to arrive on its platforms.
In this report, Microsoft accuses the Apple company of implementing numerous rules that are impossible to comply with for “technical and economic reasons”. Indeed, Apple requires that subscriptions and features offered by Cloud Gaming services be available on iOS devices with in-app purchases. Something that, according to Microsoft, is impossible to achieve. Apple thus prohibits the consumption of content that has been purchased on a platform other than the iOS Store. Microsoft also accuses Apple of implementing 30% commission fees that "make it impossible" for the Cloud Gaming service to be profitable. According to Microsoft, these commission fees are "neither economically viable nor justifiable". Finally, Microsoft also complains about Apple's lack of support for alternative app stores and the limitations of web apps.
There is still a long way to go on both sides to allow players to enjoy Cloud Gaming as they should. For its part, Apple defends itself in a statement indicating that the company "supports and encourages" cloud gaming services on iOS.
The United Kingdom will of course take into account Microsoft's comments and those of other parties when making a decision as part of the ongoing investigation into mobile browsers and cloud gaming. In any case, it may take some time before we have a stable and favorable situation for the players.
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