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The bigger story here is for game streaming apps (section 4.9). Previously Xbox game streaming and Stadia had been rejected as they were a single app that provi
by emdowling 6y ago
The bigger story here is for game streaming apps (section 4.9). Previously Xbox game streaming and Stadia had been rejected as they were a single app that provided access to multiple apps.
tl;dr the new rules allow For games to be streamed, but each title must be a separate app and run all in-game purchases through in-app purchase. They’ve also explicitly allowed for game streaming services to have catalogue apps that link to the individual App Store listings.
This is massive and strikes me as a great compromise solution. It separates the technical implementation (streaming) from the actual value proposition to users (the game itself). Essentially, each individual game needs be a separate app in the store and be reviewed individually.
I think the xCloud team at Microsoft is about to pull a few late nights to get this launched on iOS in the next few weeks.
- dindresto 6y agoI still wonder why games are often treated so much differently than movies or shows today. They should've reached the same cultural acceptance by now and are often as much art as their non-interactive counterparts.
- caleb-allen 6y agoYes! Will Netflix's Bandersnatch require a separate application?
- arvinsim 6y agoThe stereotype of it being juvenile and for "nerds" is alive and well. It will take one generation who grew up playing video games to normalise it.
- nvrspyx 6y agoI disagree. This is an annoying compromise for something that doesn't need compromising. My phone's home screen is cluttered enough as it is and now I'll need separate apps for all the games in my Xbox library and those on Game Pass? I'll also need to download a redundant amount of code for each game and may not be able to play certain games due to Apple's arbitrary rulings? I'll have to dig through hundreds of games on Microsoft's developer page just to peruse through Microsoft's non-gaming apps to stumble upon something like Family Safety or Math Solver? This sounds like a huge pain in the butt for users and kind of loses some of the value proposition of game streaming: trying games instantly, not needing to download anything, and not taking up a bunch of space for your whole library.
- dindresto 6y agoOn a further note, what is preventing Stadia from running on Safari on iPadOS right now? I suppose it's making use of some non-standard Chrome only features?
- makecheck 6y agoWhile iOS 14 will help somewhat (App Library to gather things), I agree that one app per game is a big ask for streaming. Furthermore, I can just imagine a lazy Electron-type implementation making each “wrapper” steal much more phone space than it has any right to.
- Steko 6y agoGames offered in a streaming game service subscription must be downloaded directly from the App Store, must be designed to avoid duplicate payment by a subscriber, and should not disadvantage non-subscriber customers Imagine having to download every netflix movie separately from itunes. Well some progress is better than none.
- thewebcount 6y agoThat would be great! I wouldn’t need a Netflix account it sounds like. All the movies would be in a single place instead of spread around different apps. Honestly, I would love that! I’m not signing up for anything from Microsoft or Google, but I’d consider steaming a single game from Apple’s AppStore.
- floatingatoll 6y agoIt’s worth its own front page post, since that’s popular for these today.
- igorstellar 6y agoI think it's great idea. This way we won't get any "bloatware" in game launcher, promoted apps, ads or anything that is not needed to play the game.