According to a bunch of leaked emails, Xbox allegedly planned to release some of its first-party games onto the Apple App Store exclusively.

The allegation is that in order to convince Apple to allow Cloud Gaming with Xbox Game Pass to run natively on iOS devices, Microsoft was secretly negotiating to use its game streaming technology to launch games on the App Store as standalone versions.

That would have effectively have meant that, as well as play titles through Game Pass Ultimate membership, iPhone and iPad owners would be able to buy a game like Forza Horizon 5 and play it in its entirety on their phone or tablet.

The private emails were spotted by The Verge, which claims to have found them in the wake of the Epic vs Apple trial.

It was originally sparked by Apple's rules insisting that a cloud gaming platform could exist as a native iOS app, but every game available through it would have to be available as a separate title too.

That could have led to thousands of Xbox games flooding the App Store.

Thankfully, Xbox and Google opted for alternative methods to offer Cloud Gaming and Stadia on iOS devices respectively. They are both able to be run through a browser app.