The Apple Vs. Epic Lawsuit Has Sparked ‘Xbox Game Pass On Switch’ Rumours Again

“Negotiations between Nintendo and Microsoft” were reported to be “competitively delicate.”

The Epic Games vs. Apple lawsuit continues to rumble on, revealing a slew of new details. Aside from the fact that Epic’s Tim Sweeney can’t operate a Switch properly, we’ve now seen how close Nintendo and Microsoft have been in recent years.

During the trial, an Xbox business development executive was summoned to discuss the possibility of bringing xCloud to iOS , as well as a variety of other platforms. Parts of the document, which have been substantially redacted, have been shared by games journalist Stephen Totilo. Nintendo has apparently requested that certain sections be withheld because they include “competitively sensitive information concerning Nintendo and Microsoft’s negotiations.”

Because the businesses have collaborated on different projects in the past, such as Banjo and Kazooie making their way into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it’s clear that Nintendo and Microsoft have a good working relationship. Given that the portion of the trial directly concerns xCloud and its expansion to other platforms, it’s reasonable to presume that the withheld sections pertain to Nintendo’s discussions with Microsoft on the subject.

Nintendo claims that these portions of an Xbox business development executive’s deposition in EpicvApple “reflect…competitively sensitive information concerning Nintendo and Microsoft’s negotiations.” She was questioned mostly on her efforts to bring xCloud to iOS, as well as the console industry in general.

How far have the negotiations progressed? Is it still going on? Perhaps the debate is already finished, and Game Pass will be coming to Switch shortly — or perhaps the debate has come to a halt and it will not happen. We may find out in the future, but there’s no way of knowing where things are between the two organisations right now — We only know they’ve been conversing. Make what you will of it.

Game Pass rumours have been circulating for a while, with Xbox CEO Phil Spencer stating that he’d want to introduce the service to new platforms (before changing his mind and then apparently leaving the door open). Late last year, Nintendo’s Doug Bowser appeared to put an end to the rumours, while Mat Piscatella of The NPD Group believes Nintendo “wouldn’t approve” the service on one of its platforms.

According to our friends at ov, Microsoft is currently running a beta programme that allows Android and iOS users to access Xbox Cloud Gaming on their devices – and it works “impossibly well.”

Journalistic coverage of video games The ongoing Epic V Apple trial is being broadcast to anyone who wants to listen — you just have to dial in — and Twitter (yes, it’s a thing) is having a field day with it. This is our version of The Bachelorette, complete with plot twists, betrayals, and leaked emails. It’s going to be a wild ride.

If you’re wondering what the trial is all about, it boils down to Apple’s iOS monopoly — unlike on the PC, where there are Steam, the Epic Game Store, and itch.io (to name a few), developers on iOS have no choice about which platform to publish their game on.

Furthermore, Apple charges all developers a 30 percent commission, which they have no choice but to pay. Epic objected to having to pay the 30%, which appears to be normal across the board for these types of businesses — and is really one of Apple’s key lines of defence .

Epic tried to get around the commission by allowing users of the freemium iOS version of Fortnite to send money directly to Epic, but Apple (and Google Play, but that’s an other storey) replied by deleting the game from its platform.

Sayed

Sayed is one of the authors who has been a part of Doms2Cents from the very beginning. He has expertise in comic books and is a huge Marvel fan. He has been working as a freelancer since 2019 and has now become an expert in the field and is a senior author at Doms2Cents.

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