For the past couple of years, Microsoft has been considering
launching an Xbox mobile gaming store, and the company’s plans are finally turning
into reality. Microsoft first hinted at a “next-generation store” back in 2022.
It was now revealed at the Bloomberg Technology Summit today that the Xbox
mobile gaming store is set to be launched in July of this year.
Microsoft’s main intent behind creating the Xbox mobile
store was to provide a combined gaming and store experience that is independent
of a single ecosystem. The company argues that no other gaming platform and
store experience has yet been able to achieve that.
Speaking about the launch, Xbox president Sarah Bond mentioned
that Microsoft is going to begin by bringing its own first-party portfolio to the
Xbox mobile store. To offer a more accessible experience beyond the policies of
“closed ecosystem stores”, Bond added, the company will begin by offering the experience
on web.
Microsoft’s first-party mobile game portfolio will include
major titles like Call of Duty: Mobile, Candy Crush Saga, and Minecraft. The
company plans to later expand the portfolio to third-party partners as well.
Keeping the mobile store initially limited to the web,
though, may be a challenge for Microsoft, considering that the games in the
store are already available on app stores like Google and Apple’s. Perhaps this
is why Microsoft plans to later extend the store beyond the web, most likely in
the form of a platform that could be a true rival to Google and Apple’s mobile
app stores.
