Mobile gamers will soon have a new place to download some of the biggest games you can play on smartphones.
Microsoft will launch its Xbox mobile gaming store in July, Microsoft’s Xbox president Sarah Bond has revealed.
At the start, it will only be available on the web, stocked with Microsoft games, with discounts on in-game items in Candy Crush Saga and Minecraft, per Bloomberg. Microsoft’s third-party partners will come to the store later, Bond said.
The launch sees Microsoft shaking up the mobile gaming market by offering the public a new place to access blockbuster games, away from Apple and Google’s cavernous mobile app stores.
With talk of deals on in-game purchases, Microsoft’s move has the potential to create price wars between the three tech giants or more attractive game bundles for players. The biggest mobile games are free to download but charge extra for cosmetic items and extra lives.
Mobile games accounted for almost half of all gaming revenue in 2023, reaching $92.6bn (£77bn). Brits spend roughly the same amount of time playing mobile games as they do console titles every week, according to a 2023 YouGov survey.
How will it work?
Microsoft is also showcasing its unique ability to allow mobile gamers to play on multiple platforms. This would theoretically allow you to start a game on iPhone and continue it on Xbox or the web.
Microsoft is eyeing a store that “goes truly across devices – where who you are, your library, your identity, your rewards travel with you versus being locked to a single ecosystem”, Bond said.
In Game Pass, the company already operates a console and PC game subscription service that does just that. It also has an online Microsoft store that offers all of its products under one roof, from Office productivity software to tablets and digital Xbox games.
What mobile games does Microsoft own?
Microsoft doesn't directly develop a ton of mobile games itself, but through its mega-acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023, owner of Candy Crush maker King, it became a major player in the mobile gaming industry.
Microsoft’s mobile line-up now includes Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty mobile games, Diablo Immortal, and Warcraft Rumble, along with King’s Candy Crush series, Bubble Witch Saga, Farm Heroes Saga, and Pet Rescue Saga.
Mobile gaming was a key driver for Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal, Bond said.
Meanwhile, Minecraft isn’t just a hit on mobiles, it’s the biggest video game of all time.
Will Microsoft launch an Xbox mobile app store?
In a nod to Apple and Google’s strict guidelines for their app stores, Microsoft’s Bond said by launching on the web it can reach a wider pool of users than on “closed ecosystem” stores.
Seeing as most people get their games from app stores, Microsoft plans on eventually offering its own shop for gaming.
Apple and Google currently have a monopoly over app distribution through their iOS and Android mobile-operating systems, and their respective app stores. The companies maintain a tight control over in-app purchases, taking a 30 per cent cut of such transactions.
New regulations in the European Union now require Apple to allow alternative app stores on iPhones and iPads. Meanwhile, Google’s Android has been more open to third-party app stores, with users able to download external apps or “sideload” them as files directly from websites.
Microsoft is eyeing mobile gaming growth during a challenging period for Xbox and the wider video game industry. The company cut 1,900 jobs in its gaming division following its Activision Blizzard acquisition in January. Furthermore, it recently closed two game studios, prompting a backlash from gamers and developers online.
