Microsoft’s new Xbox mobile gaming store is launching in July

Microsoft has been talking astir plans for an Xbox mobile gaming shop for a mates of years now, and nan institution now plans to motorboat it successful July. Speaking astatine nan Bloomberg Technology Summit earlier today, Xbox president Sarah Bond revealed nan motorboat day and really Microsoft is going to debar Apple’s strict App Store rules.

“We’re going to commencement by bringing our ain first-party portfolio to [the Xbox mobile store], truthful you’re going to spot games for illustration Candy Crush show up successful that experience, games for illustration Minecraft,” says Bond. “We’re going to commencement connected nan web, and we’re doing that because that really allows america to person it beryllium an acquisition that’s accessible crossed each devices, each countries, nary matter what and independent of nan policies of closed ecosystem stores.”

The shop will beryllium focused connected first-party mobile games from Microsoft’s various studios, which see immense hits for illustration Call of Duty: Mobile and Candy Crush Saga. Bond says nan institution will widen this to partners astatine immoderate constituent successful nan future, too.

While games will people beryllium portion of nan store, it sounds for illustration nan cardinal parts of nan Xbox acquisition will besides beryllium available. Bond argues location isn’t a gaming level and shop acquisition that “goes genuinely crossed devices — wherever who you are, your library, your identity, your rewards recreation pinch you versus being locked to a azygous ecosystem.” So Microsoft is trying to build that pinch its Xbox mobile store.

Microsoft had besides been building this shop successful anticipation of companies for illustration Apple and Google being forced to unfastened up their mobile app stores, but it’s clear nan package elephantine isn’t consenting to hold connected nan Digital Markets Act to shingle retired successful Europe aliases immoderate imaginable action successful nan US.

A web-only mobile shop will beryllium challenging to propulsion off, and it’s not instantly clear really Microsoft will position this arsenic an replacement to these mobile games already existing connected rival app stores. Bond says Microsoft will “extend” beyond nan web, hinting that it could yet motorboat a existent rival to Google and Apple’s mobile app stores astatine immoderate constituent soon.

Microsoft first hinted astatine a “next-generation store” successful early 2022, conscionable a period aft nan institution announced its Activision Blizzard acquisition. “We want to beryllium successful a position to connection Xbox and contented from some america and our third-party partners crossed immoderate surface wherever personification would want to play,” said Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer successful an interview pinch the Financial Times past year. “Today, we can’t do that connected mobile devices but we want to build towards a world that we deliberation will beryllium coming wherever those devices are opened up.”