Microsoft is said to be working on its very own Xbox-branded mobile store to compete against both Apple and Google.
Microsoft is said to be working on its very own Xbox-branded mobile store to compete against both Apple and Google.
First discovered by Tom Warren, writing for The Verge, the news comes via a filing written for the UK's Competition & Markets Authority (CMA).
The CMA are currently investigating Microsoft's planned $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
The filing document includes the following passage from Microsoft:
The transaction will improve Microsoft’s ability to create a next generation game store which operates across a range of devices, including mobile as a result of the addition of Activision Blizzard’s content.
Building on Activision Blizzard’s existing communities of gamers, Xbox will seek to scale the Xbox Store to mobile, attracting gamers to a new Xbox Mobile Platform.
Shifting consumers away from the Google Play Store and App Store on mobile devices will, however, require a major shift in consumer behavior.
Microsoft hopes that by offering well-known and popular content, gamers will be more inclined to try something new.
Xbox Mobile Platform
This plan for Microsoft to have their own mobile-based store, independent of those run by the platform holders (Apple and Google), has long been mooted and echoes similar desires from Epic Games.
It would fit nicely into the overall strategy Microsoft is currently pursuing: bringing their Xbox Game Pass service to every platform it can. But it's a move that is likely to face significant pushback from Apple and Google, who will no doubt resist it becoming a reality.
First hinted at earlier this year, this mobile effort joins recently announced partnerships with both Logitech and Razer — offering Xbox Cloud Streaming on the respective devices.
