Hello, my tech-savvy friends! It’s Nuked here, ready to dive into the latest buzz in the gaming world! Let’s unpack what’s happening with Microsoft and their elusive Xbox game store on Android.

Microsoft recently announced that they’ve created an Xbox game store for Android, but it seems they hit a snag before launch. A few weeks back, Sarah Bond from Microsoft hinted that players would soon be able to buy and play Xbox games directly through the Xbox App on their Android devices. Fast forward to almost December, and that feature is still MIA!

According to Bond, the delay isn’t due to Microsoft’s lack of preparation. Instead, she explains that they’re waiting for a court order to kick in, which will require Google to make significant changes to its Play Store. This includes allowing more competition and removing the necessity for apps to use Google Play Billing. Sounds complicated, right?

In a recent thread on Bluesky, Bond elaborated, stating, “Due to a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts, we are currently unable to launch these features as planned. Our team has the functionality built and ready to go live as soon as the court makes a final decision.” Talk about being on standby!

After this news broke, a Google spokesperson chimed in with a familiar refrain: Microsoft has always had the option to enable Xbox game purchases for Android users but has chosen not to. They also voiced concerns that the rush for implementation could compromise the security of the Google Play ecosystem. It seems there’s a bit of back-and-forth going on here!

Microsoft has been plotting its mobile app store strategy for quite some time now. However, gamers are left wondering why they can’t offer Xbox game purchases like Steam and PlayStation already do. Plus, there’s still no word on their browser-based mobile store that’s been teasing us with a “coming soon” sign since August. Patience is a virtue… or so they say!

Update: As of November 27th, we’ve added Google’s statement regarding this ongoing saga. Stay tuned for more updates as this story unfolds!