Last month, Apple announced new changes to its App Store As part of the changes, Apple changed its stance on cloud gaming, allowing a single app to access multiple games

This rule change is being implemented globally, not just in the EU One would have thought this would be good news for companies like Xbox, which has always criticized Apple for restricting cloud gaming However, it appears that Microsoft still does not intend to take advantage of this rule change

Speaking to The Verge, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft's gaming division, seemed to confirm that the company's strategy for iOS will not change Simply because there is no room to monetize Cloud Gaming on iOS However, Spencer did not clarify this point, choosing instead to criticize Apple's response to the EU's Digital Markets App

Spencer feels that Apple has not done enough to open up iOS and even speculates that it is going "in some ways in the opposite direction" Spencer said he hopes mobile gaming will work the same way as Windows because PC gamers can purchase games from multiple storefronts like Steam, Epic, Microsoft, and GOG

It is not surprising that Spencer is not happy with the way Apple has "opened up" iOS Apple's idea of allowing third parties to access iOS includes maintaining control over what apps are allowed and taking royalties from developers who distribute outside of the Apple App Store

Third-party marketplaces will also not be allowed unless the developer provides a letter of credit of at least €1 million This is one of the most Apple-like things I've seen

Monetization has nothing to do with how Game Pass works on Android You either have a subscription or you don't, and without a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, you can't actually use anything; whether it's the Game Pass app or the standalone Xbox app, you can't actually buy anything or subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate subscription

Prior to 2020, cloud gaming was banned on iOS, so Game Pass, Nvidia GeForce Now, and the later Google Stadia were not accessible from the iPhone or iPad 2020, Apple changed and allowed cloud gaming on iOS Instead, developers had to provide web apps, an effective but not very smooth or streamlined experience

And one would think that Microsoft would be more willing to offer an official Game Pass app on iOS, given that Apple has confirmed that it has disabled web apps in the EU in response to the Digital Markets Act legislation Not least to provide a more streamlined experience for Game Pass subscribers However, apparently Apple's restriction of third-party app stores has somehow ruined this plan