Xbox President Sarah Bond said, "next month, players will be able to play and buy Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android."

This is at a time when a U.S. judge has told Google to stop compelling app developers to use its billing system, in a ruling forcing Google to open up its app store to rivals and hand more choice to Android users.

This court decision to lift Google´s ban on opening the company´s mobile store in the US would expand choice and flexibility, according to Bond, who wrote in X. "Our mission is to let more players play on more devices. We are thrilled that, from this November, players can play and buy Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android.".

Starting today, games can be sold directly to players on Android without the need for Microsoft to give Google a cut of the revenue generated from in-app purchases.

BOND DIDN'T WRITE MUCH about the specific titles available on the Xbox app, but TechCrunch followed up with Microsoft to learn more.

Microsoft has also been working to launch a digital game store for mobile. While Bond said the world as far back as May that the store would go live in July, that did not happen, and the firm is still in testing mode. The idea of the web-based store, the company said, was first to bring its first-party portfolio onto the platform, including titles such as Candy Crush and Minecraft, and then open up the mobile store to other publishers.

Judge James Donato issued his final ruling in the Epic and Google saga on Monday detailing the ways that the company has to change the way it operates Google Play starting November 1 for a period of three years.

As part of the decision, Google cannot even pay developers to launch their apps exclusively on its app store. It has to allow third-party app stores to access Google Play's catalog of apps and must carry third-party apps in its app store.

In response to the order, Google indicated that it will appeal and asked for a stay on changes ordered that will be undercutting Android's ability to compete with Apple's iOS.