Rainway partners with Microsoft to power Xbox Game Pass iOS streaming

Microsoft is working with streaming-tech startup Rainway to bring Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming to iOS. Rainway enables low-latency streaming through browsers like Safari, Chrome, and Edge. This deal is important because Apple is still preventing competitors from launching game-streaming platforms on the App Store.

But Apple does not (yet) moderate the internet. And this means that Microsoft can enable gamers to access xCloud through Safari. This will provide access to Game Pass on the go. And it should help Microsoft reach even more people with its subscription service.

“Our goal at Xbox is to enable gamers around the world to play the games they want, on the devices they want, with the people they want,” xCloud general manager Kevin LaChapelle said. “To provide a consistent cloud gaming experience that spans multiple devices, we’re making games available through browser which provides the necessary performance, compatibility, and speed that meets the needs of gamers.”

Cloud gaming is a complex process. It requires data to bounce from server to end-user device in an instant. But Rainway built its service with gaming as a focus, and that makes it an ideal fit for Xbox.

Rainway opened up its SDK to third-party companies earlier this year. And this is a result of those efforts.

“By making our real-time interactive streaming technology available to our App Services partners, we usher in a new era where developers and organizations are empowered to build the future of computing, collaboration, productivity, and development,” Rainway chief executive officer Andrew Sampson said. “We are proud to say Microsoft, as one of our first App Services Partners, was able to use our technology to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to more users and devices.”