Several months after its original July 2024 release window, we finally have an idea of what Microsoft’s updated plans for its upcoming mobile game store are.
In a new interview with Bloomberg, Xbox head and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed that the store’s release has been delayed indefinitely as the firm “does additional research on the market.” The platform was first announced by Xbox president Sarah Bond in May and was expected in July, but was ultimately pushed back. Now, the company is working with mobile game developers — including the teams behind recently acquired Microsoft properties like Candy Crush and Call of Duty Mobile — to determine the best path forward.
One of the major goals Microsoft and Xbox hope to achieve is making its marketplace stand out from existing storefronts like Apple’s App Store, with Spencer stressing the need for a unique hook in the interview.
“So a web store would mean somebody doesn’t have to go into the app store to try to install something, but you still have to have a way to find the store,” Spencer said, highlighting the need for a marketable draw to the new platform. “If we’re just hoping, like, if we build it, they will come, I’m going to bet that doesn’t work.”
Notably, the store’s delay comes just one month after Google was ordered to open its Android app store to third-party rivals in a court case between the company and Epic Games — a ruling that led to several Xbox games becoming purchasable and playable in the Xbox app on Android. Regulations against Google and Apple like these are moving through courts worldwide, and will benefit Microsoft greatly as it plans the debut of its mobile store.
“I think the ball is moving in the right direction,” Spencer added, commenting on the developing mobile landscape. “I think this idea of open platforms, where users have more choice, creators have more choice, you see the momentum, right?”
In the same interview, Spencer also confirmed that the long-rumored Xbox handheld device is real, but is “several years out.” Additionally, he said that there are no “red lines” for games that could come to PlayStation or Nintendo, suggesting any current or Xbox title could head to these platforms one day if it makes sense business-wise.
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