Epic Games isn’t keen on letting Microsoft bring Fortnite to its xCloud game streaming service.
As reported by The Verge, it seems the company views xCloud, which allows Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users to stream supported titles on smartphones, tablets, and later this year PCs, as a direct competitor to its own PC operations.
Speaking during a deposition made public as part of Epic’s legal battle with Apple, Epic Games’ vice president of business development Joe Kreiner was asked why Fortnite isn’t available on xCloud, and confirmed it was a decision made to avoid cannibalizing itself.
“We viewed Microsoft’s efforts with xCloud to be competitive with our PC offerings,” said Kreiner during the deposition. Fortnite is, of course, still available to play on Xbox platforms, but it seems like it won’t be getting xCloud support anytime soon.
As it stands, the only way to stream the title is through Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service, which Epic CEO Tim Sweeney last year called the “most developer-friendly and publisher-friendly of the major streaming services.”
GeForce Now works by letting users access their existing game libraries from other platforms like Steam and the Epic Games Store, so it’s hardly surprising to see Sweeney wax lyrical about a platform that essentially helps drive consumers to Epic’s own digital marketplace.
Kreiner’s remarks arrive days before Epic and Apple head to trial to duke it out over the latter’s decision to remove Fortnite from the App Store after Epic breached platform guidelines. The in-person trial is set to begin on May 3, 2021.