Microsoft is building an Xbox mobile gaming store that is set to rival Apple and Google’s mobile gaming stores. The company is preparing to launch the store as soon as next year, but this will depend on regulatory approval of its acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard. The Xbox mobile store will offer games from both Microsoft and third-party partners. Xbox Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer, revealed that the company is building the store in anticipation of EU’s Digital Markets Act and other regulations allowing for alternative app stores on iOS.
The Xbox already offers cloud gaming services on the iPhone, but games are only playable via the web instead of the App Store. Microsoft’s hope is that such a store will thrive on Android and iOS devices as new rules force Apple and Google to change how they distribute apps on mobile devices and open their platforms and stores up to competition.
