Among other sweeping changes to comply with EU regulations regarding the App Store, Apple has announced that it is now (finally) “introducing new options for how apps globally can deliver in-app experiences to users, including streaming games and mini-programs.”
This news is likely to make a lot of gamers happy, not to mention software publishers such as Microsoft and PlayStation, which will open up their game catalogs to potentially hundreds of millions of new users who would otherwise not buy a standalone console, but may have interest in playing a few games.
Xbox Cloud Gaming (via Xbox Game Pass) has been available on iOS for a while through the browser, but having a dedicated app will allow it to run more smoothly, deliver better experiences, and more stability for end users.
PlayStation Now has yet to be available for iOS, but this could change with some development work on Sony’s end to bring even more players into the PlayStation gaming family.
It remains to be seen whether Apple will require a cut of the subscription revenue from these apps, which would likely be a no-go for big players such as Microsoft and Sony. That said, they also recently announced changes to how users are allowed to sign-up, opening up the possibility to drive users out of the app itself, which was previously not allowed under Apple’s rather stringent rules.