Rainway, the PC gaming app which allows players to stream any of their PC games to Xbox One, made its debut on Xbox last week before swiftly disappearing. At the time of writing, the Rainway developers have not yet explained why the app was so quickly removed, only saying it came at Microsoft's request.
"The overwhelming response we received has been incredible. Unfortunately, due to unexpected circumstances, Microsoft has asked us to remove Rainway from the app store. We are continuing to work with Microsoft to bring Rainway back to the Xbox."
Rainway made its debut on the console last Tuesday, January 28, and was removed not three full days later. During the launch, the Rainway PR team excitedly shared the news, saying "users can now enjoy games such as Nioh, Journey, Beyond Two Souls, Shenmue 3, Detroit: Become Human, and other PC titles on their Xbox One." Though accurate, none of the games mentioned by name are thought of as PC-first consoles, as they're all console exclusives on PlayStation 4. Whether that accessibility had anything to do with the app being removed wouldn't seem likely, but perhaps there are some console wars shenanigans at play here.
Regardless, the Rainway devs say they hope to get the app back on Xbox soon, even as they have nothing else to share at this time. Before it was taken down, the company said "features such as 4K streaming, local multiplayer/co-op, voice chat will eventually make an appearance."
For what it's worth, I tried the app during its brief stint on Xbox and didn't have the smoothest experience. Granted the app launched in beta so I expected some hiccups, but as someone who streams xCloud and Stadia games several days per week, I found the Rainway stream to be considerably less reliable than either of the other services. STreaming isn't going away though, so stay tuned as we continue to cover Rainway's shaky start on Xbox.
