“Both Google And Apple Exert Control”: Xbox CEO Phil Spencer Takes A Dig At Apple During FTC Hearing

Xbox has made it to the headlines yet again, but not for the usual reasons. Microsoft faced the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for a five-day case from June 22. The first day of the hearing marked a candid interview of the Xbox CEO Phil Spencer. He revealed the take of the company on giants like Google and Apple. The case will decide whether its proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard will go forward.

The FTC is requesting a preliminary injunction to stop Microsoft from finalizing the transaction before the start of a separate judicial proceeding on August 2. Amidst all this judicial chaos, statements by Phil Spencer caught the attention of the community.

Apple Scared Of Microsoft’s Competition? Xbox CEO Gives An Insight

Xbox has constantly shown a keen interest in entering the mobile market industry. The strategy for the company is very clear as it wants to target the largest spectrum of the gaming community. With the accessibility and convenience, there is no denying that the mobile phone is the largest link for players to the virtual worlds. But Xbox has been unable to pull off the major entry hurdle of the mobile phone industry. The CEO feels the reason for the same is the fear of giants like Apple and Google from the competition with Microsoft.

Taking a dig at Apple and Google, Phil Spencer called the companies stakeholders of the industry. He quoted, “Both Google and Apple exert control over the largest gaming platform,” says Spencer. “Apple won’t let us put a streaming app in their store, so we can’t bring console games through their storefront.”

Breaking Apple’s strategy further, “Its competition for their control in the largest gaming platform. These are games that players want to play, we have a delivery mechanism to deliver games, they choose to block it.” He says Apple has “been allowed to do that. They are allowed to,” the CEO added.

Read More: FTC v. Microsoft: Call of Duty Publisher Allegedly Forced the Xbox Maker for a Bigger Revenue Share Deal!

The statements definitely spark a fire during the ongoing proceedings. There is already so much at stake for Microsoft. If they fail to close the proposed acquisition by July 18, they will have to pay a compensation of around $3 billion as a breakup fee to Activision Blizzard. Even with all the challenges the developers at Microsoft are high-spirited for the Xbox mobile stores. It will be interesting to see how long we have to wait for the plans to turn into reality. 

Watch This Story: Starfield: Top Gameplay Details Announced During Recent Xbox Showcase