At the Bloomberg Technology Summit, Microsoft Corporation announced their plan to launch a novel mobile game store this coming July. Although unnamed yet, this store will be accessible via web browsers rather than through a designated app.
Sarah Bond, the president of Xbox, revealed that the company initially plans to feature their first-party portfolio, including popular gaming hits like Candy Crush and Minecraft, in this new mobile store. Microsoft has intentions to invite and incorporate other game publishers onto the platform in the future.
According to Bond, the principal incentive for launching the store on the web at its inception is to guarantee universal access across all devices and across all countries. This is designed to maintain independence from the limitations imposed by other exclusive ecosystem stores. Microsoft also plans to extend the store’s size and scope at a later stage. Launching via the web, not as an app, also allows Microsoft to provide an alternate option to giants like Apple and Google, both of which charge a 30% fee on sales made.
Hints regarding a potential mobile store from Microsoft emerged in 2022 when they declared the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Initially, the store will predominantly exhibit titles from Activision Blizzard. An Xbox spokesperson stressed though that this is merely the initial phase in Microsoft’s mission to create a trusted, gaming-centric app store. Although Microsoft plans to involve third-party publishers in the future, they did not provide a specific timeline for this expansion.
