NAIROBI, Kenya – Microsoft has announced its plans to enter the mobile gaming market with the launch of its mobile game store in July.
The announcement was made by Xbox president Sarah Bond during the Bloomberg Technology Summit on Thursday.
Bond revealed that Microsoft’s mobile game store will initially feature its first-party portfolio, which includes popular titles like Candy Crush and Minecraft.
The store will then be opened up to other publishers, providing a platform for a wide range of mobile games.
“We’re going to start on the web,” Bond explained. “And we’re doing that because that really allows us to have an experience that’s accessible across all devices, all countries, no matter what, independent of the policies of closed ecosystem stores, and then we’re going to extend from there.”
By choosing to launch the store on the web rather than as a standalone app, Microsoft aims to offer an alternative to Apple and Google, both of which charge a 30% fee on sales through their app stores.
This move from Microsoft comes after months of speculation about the company’s plans to enter the mobile gaming market.
Last December, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer mentioned that discussions were underway with partners regarding the launch of an Xbox mobile store, indicating that the launch was imminent.
Microsoft had hinted at its mobile store ambitions back in 2022 when it announced the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
In its filings, Microsoft stated that building out its mobile gaming presence was a key reason behind the acquisition.
The company’s plans were further outlined in October 2022 when filings with the CMA revealed the creation of a new “Xbox Mobile Platform” featuring games from Activision and King.
