Microsoft could launch its own Xbox store for iOS and Android in 2024

With the purchase of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft had two objectives: to improve the Xbox Game Pass catalog and to gain a foothold in the mobile video game market. After all, Activision Blizzard also owns King, which develops legendary games like Candy Crush.

With the new Xbox catalog and the future obligation to allow third-party stores on iOS and Android, the Redmonds have seen the window of opportunity open to wage war on their own. Thus, They plan to launch their game store on both mobile platforms and stop depending on Google and Applealong with commissions from their stores.

The Xbox store would arrive in 2024 on iOS and Android

There have been not a few companies that have denounced the monopoly position that Google and Apple enjoy in terms of the distribution of applications on their operating systems. Let’s remember, for example, the war that Epic decided to start due to the revenue it was losing with Fortnite.

Then came other big ones like Spotify and Microsoft. The pressure led the European Union to investigate these privileged positions and prepare regulations that free up the market for the distribution of mobile applications.

With this in mind, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, confirmed Microsoft’s intentions to develop its own Xbox mobile store.

We want to be in a position to deliver content from Xbox and third-party partners to any screen where play is possible. Today, we can’t do that on mobile devices, but we want to build towards a world that we believe is yet to come, where these devices are more open.

Let’s think about the number of micro-transactions that can move titles like Call of Duty: Mobile or Candy Crush, of which Google and Apple keep between 20% and 30% when using their payment gateways. With this store, Microsoft would not have to give up part of its profits and could offer more advantageous conditions to its partners.

For example, it could attract Epic to publish Fortnite on the Xbox store on iOS and Android, adding very relevant titles within the mobile sector. In any case, we will have to wait for 2024 to see this dream come true.