Microsoft brings Fourteen days back to mobile devices, just not in the way you might expect. On Thursday, Microsoft announced a new partnership with Epic Games that will make Fourteen days Playable via Xbox Cloud Gaming and free on all supported browser-enabled devices. Among the devices that are compatible with Fourteen days are a variety of Android and iOS devices, including iPhones and iPads.
To play the game on mobile, players will need to go to the Xbox website in a web browser and then sign in with their Microsoft account. After that, players can jump into games using either touchscreen controls or an Xbox controller.
The game was previously playable in browsers using Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, but the latest version will be free for anyone with an Xbox account. This is the first completely free game that Microsoft has brought to its cloud service. Similarly browser based Fourteen days Streaming is also available through Nvidia’s GeForce Now streaming service, but requires a subscription.
Fourteen days was removed from both Apple’s and Google’s mobile app stores in 2020 after Epic allowed players to buy V-Bucks (the game’s currency) directly from Epic instead of through the App Store, thereby reducing the purchase price by the stores was bypassed – a move that was explicitly in violation of Apple’s App Store agreement.
Apple quickly removed Fourteen days from the App Store – a move Epic expected – which prompted Epic to release a video parodying Apple’s most famous commercial and to file a lawsuit against Apple. Google has also pulled Fourteen days from its App Store, prompting Epic to instruct players how to install the game outside of the google play app store. Apple and Google then sued Epic.
The case went to court and the judge ruled that Apple cannot ban developers from offering alternative purchase options. Despite this, Fourteen days will remain unavailable on the iOS App Store and may remain so for up to five years, according to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney.
