New Apple App Store rules put Cloud gaming providers in a bind

Apple has updated its App Store policy for game streaming services like Microsoft xCloud or Google Stadia to arrive on iOS devices but with big riders that has not gone well with the tech giants.

Apple said that each streaming game must be submitted to the App Store as an individual app and streaming game services may offer a catalog app on the App Store to help users sign up for the service and find the games.

According to Microsoft, this will bring a bad experience for game lovers on iOS devices.

"Gamers want to jump directly into a game from their curated catalog within one app just like they do with movies or songs, and not be forced to download over 100 apps to play individual games from the cloud," a Microsoft spokesperson told The Verge on Saturday.

New App Store rules show that each and every game must also be downloadable "directly from the App Store," and every game update must be submitted to Apple individually before a company could stream it to users.

That means that Microsoft or Google can't build a single, overarching xCloud or Stadia app that contains access to all the games.

Microsoft said that they are "committed to putting gamers at the center of everything we do, and providing a great experience is core to that mission".

Microsoft is launching its game streaming service as part of 'Xbox Game Pass Ultimate' next week that will be available in 22 countries on Android devices to begin with.

The new App Store rules come in the wake of criticism Apple has received for its treatment of rival products on its platform.

After Microsoft blamed Apple for not letting its Cloud gaming service to appear on the App Store, Facebook criticised the iPhone maker, saying the company prevented the social network from launching its gaming app on iPhones and other devices.

Apple had rejected Facebook Gaming app on the iOS App Store, as it was a direct threat to its gaming service Apple Arcade.

According to Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, the company managed to launch an iOS version of its gaming app after it was "forced to make a concession to bring it to the App Store".

Google Stadia and Nvidia's GeForce also faced trouble with launching iOS versions of their apps due to the App Store's guidelines.

According to new App Store rules, streaming games are permitted so long as they adhere to all guidelines.

"Each game update must be submitted for review, developers must provide appropriate metadata for search, games must use in-app purchase to unlock features or functionality, etc".

"All the games included in the catalog app must link to an individual App Store product page," it said.

--IANS

na/