Microsoft claims to have built an Xbox game store on Android but can’t launch it

A few weeks ago, Microsoft CEO Sarah Bond said that in November, “players will be able to play and buy Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android.” It’s almost December and the feature still isn’t live, but Bond says it’s not Microsoft’s fault.

On October 18, Judge James Donato granted Google’s request for a stay while challenging his ruling that the Android app store is an illegal monopoly, which could leave things hanging in the balance for a long time. Bond acknowledged that on the Bluesky thread today, writing, “Due to the administrative stay recently granted by the courts, we are currently unable to launch these features as planned. Our team has built-in functionality and is ready to go live as soon as the court makes a final decision.”

It’s a frustrating situation for anyone hoping to see more options available on their Android-powered devices that don’t require rooting or other tweaks, and Microsoft has been planning its mobile app store strategy for years.