According to reports, Microsoft will launch a Web Store for mobile games in July this year, competing with Apple's App Store and Google Play.
Xbox President Sarah Bond announced on Thursday that the store will launch Microsoft's own games, including Candy Crush Saga. Subsequently, Microsoft will open the store to other publishers.
Bond stated that the store is published online, not an application, so it "can be accessed on all devices, in all countries, and regardless of the policy of a closed ecosystem store."
Both Apple and Google have been leading game developers in releasing game app stores, charging approximately 30% of sales fees. At the end of 2023, Microsoft gaming executive Phil Spencer revealed that the company is in talks with partners to launch its own Xbox mobile game store.
At the same time, the European Union's Digital Markets Act, which came into effect this year, has allowed technology companies to open their own online stores directly targeting consumers, avoiding fees charged by Apple and Google. In early May, some TikTok users reported seeing links to TikTok online stores where they could purchase TikTok coins at a discount.
Winning Ace
Despite entering the $90 billion mobile gaming market, Microsoft still lags behind its competitors in the gaming industry. However, Microsoft holds a "winning ace" - Activision Blizzard. The company spent $69 billion last year to complete the acquisition of the latter. Spencer also referred to the acquisition as a way for Microsoft to enter the mobile gaming market.
Spencer has previously said, "We hope to provide Xbox and our content with third-party partners on various platforms that people want to play on. Currently, we cannot achieve this on mobile devices, but we want to create a world that we believe is coming soon and will be open to all devices."
It should be noted that a significant shift in consumer behavior is required to shift consumers away from Google Play and the Apple App Store. Microsoft aims to make players more inclined to try new things by providing well-known and popular content.
Activision Blizzard has produced some popular mobile games, including Candy Legend and Call of Duty mobile games. Since its release in 2012, Candy Crush Legend has received 5 billion downloads and generated $20 billion in revenue.