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Phil Spencer: Xbox Mobile Gaming Store Could Launch in 2024

Phil Spencer: Xbox Mobile Gaming Store Could Launch in 2024 - News

by William D'Angelo , posted on 20 March 2023 / 2,747 Views

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer speaking with the Financial Times stated that Microsoft is preparing to launch an Xbox mobile gaming store on iOS and Android and this could be as soon as next year if its Activision Blizzard acquisition is approved.

Spencer mentioned the Digital Markets Act, which would force Apple and Google to access their apps without the need of the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. 

"The Digital Markets Act that’s coming – those are the kinds of things that we are planning for," said Spencer. "I think it’s a huge opportunity."

Phil Spencer: Xbox Mobile Gaming Store Could Launch in 2024

The Digital Markets Act was signed into law by the European Parliament last September and will becomes applicable on May 2, 2023. The law will identify gatekeepers and they will have to start complying with the act by March 6, 2024. If the legislation isn't appealed or the deadline delayed Microsoft could add the Xbox Games Store to mobile devices on March 6, 2024.

We want to be in a position to offer Xbox and content from both us and our third-party partners across any screen where somebody would want to play," said Spencer. "Today, we can’t do that on mobile devices but we want to build towards a world that we think will be coming where those devices are opened up."


A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.


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32 Comments
smroadkill15 (on 20 March 2023)

If this does happen, MS will likely offer a larger cut to game studios and app makers to incentivize releasing content for their store. Offer a Mobile Game Pass like Google and Apple have now.

  • +1
Azzanation (on 21 March 2023)

This is the main reason they want ABK.

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The Fury (on 20 March 2023)

Good, this is needed to compete with the Android and Apple monopolies in that market.

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Azzanation The Fury (on 21 March 2023)

Thats why they need King to help compete

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The Fury Azzanation (on 21 March 2023)

King doesn't control the market places.

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Azzanation The Fury (on 21 March 2023)

Its popular content that will boost them

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DonFerrari (on 20 March 2023)

Best of luck to MS, it will be hard to go against the other stores.

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VAMatt DonFerrari (on 21 March 2023)

Yes. Google and Apple, even after their legal monopolies are ended, will still have the huge advantages of being the default app store on devices, having a more than decade. Long head start, and having the names that go along with a devices and or operating systems that people are familiar with "I have an Apple phone, so I'll use the Apple store." Or "I have a Google Android phone, so I'll use the Google Play store.

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DonFerrari VAMatt (on 28 March 2023)

On emulator I have the amazon store because of google playstore not working right for this specific game, but yes I think it will be harder to get traction than the windows phone.

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KLAMarine (on 20 March 2023)

Thumbs over the screen... Whose idea was this and have they been fired yet?

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G2ThaUNiT (on 20 March 2023)

I couldn't care less about mobile gaming in any way, shape, or form lol. Diablo Immortal can, ironically, rot in hell xD

But I am curious as to how would such a store be implemented, and what would happen with ActiBlizz mobile games that are currently on the App/Play Store IF the deal gets approved?

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method114 G2ThaUNiT (on 20 March 2023)

They want to launch their own store and break up the applegoogle play store monopoly. So I assume they would remove those games and make the Xbox store only.

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G2ThaUNiT method114 (on 20 March 2023)

That would be pretty insane! Not only is CoD Mobile currently out, but CoD Warzone is expected to launch on mobile in a couple of months. Throw in King with Candy Crush, Bethesda with Fallout Shelter, Elder Scrolls: Blades, the Mighty Doom game that releases tomorrow, Blizzard's mobile games with Hearthstone that's still going strong, and there's even that Warcraft mobile game, and also the Age of Empires mobile game, and suddenly Xbox has a pretty strong presence on mobile.

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method114 G2ThaUNiT (on 20 March 2023)

Yep all hinges on the acquisition though. If it doesn't go through they wont be launching a store.

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scrapking method114 (on 20 March 2023)

My guess is that existing titles would be left in Google Play/the App Store for purchase. But that they'd be available both for purchase and streaming from Microsoft's store. And that future titles would be only in Microsoft's store.

  • +1
method114 scrapking (on 20 March 2023)

Yea this is possible as well. Would be smart of them to eventually remove them though once their store gains enough attention.

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scrapking method114 (on 20 March 2023)

Yeah, I can see them doing that if their store starts to gain significant traction, for sure.

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VAMatt G2ThaUNiT (on 21 March 2023)

Candy Crush is many times bigger than all of those other games combined. It really all comes down to Candy Crush.

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AJNShelton method114 (on 20 March 2023)

I would love to see a AppleGoogle Playstore Monopoly board game, wouldn't make any sense at all

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DonFerrari method114 (on 28 March 2023)

When they use the excuse of most money for CoD being made on PS as the excuse to remove concerns from CMA of they blocking assess if they remove King games from apple and/or google stores that would be funny to see.

  • +1
Zippy6 G2ThaUNiT (on 20 March 2023)

I imagine they'd want to have CoD mobile etc exclusive to their store. Otherwise there's no point going to all the effort of making one. They don't want to pay the 30% fee to Google/Apple. Though maybe existing titles will stay and they'll just put the new Warzone Mobile on it exclusively.

If for some reason they didn't make their titles exclusive then who would bother? They'd just keep using Google Play.

I can see them trying to push their store with CoD, Candy Crush and Fortnite. As Fortnite isn't on the Google Play Store a deal with epic could give a strong push to their new store.

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Mozart1511 Zippy6 (on 20 March 2023)

They don't need to make any titles exclusive, but just offer advantages to those who use their store, for example, earn points with Microsoft Rewards.

I use a lot of Google Rewards and Microsoft Rewards points to get good discounts, but Microsoft gives more points.

  • +1
scrapking Mozart1511 (on 20 March 2023)

Games that cost money could cost 30% less in their store, maybe? Or are there rules in the walled gardens against that?

  • +2
DonFerrari scrapking (on 28 March 2023)

I'm pretty sure that could be considered price discrimination.

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scrapking DonFerrari (on 29 March 2023)

There's usually no rule against charging different prices on different stores. Though sometimes a store's terms of service prohibit it.

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DonFerrari scrapking (on 29 March 2023)

I do believe that in Brazil that would be considered a problem.

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scrapking DonFerrari (on 30 March 2023)

In Canada, price-fixing and other forms of price collusion are illegal as the law states that stores MUST allow competitive pricing.

Why would it be a problem in Brazil if a product were offered in two different stores for two different prices?!

  • +1
DonFerrari scrapking (on 30 March 2023)

When the MSRP is discriminatory.
In Brazil each store may sell for different price (like PS games for example being MSRP 300 on digital and stores having that MSRP, but yes you'll find stores having different prices - usually below MSRP). Still MS retailing it's own products for a price that other stores can't match would likely get an anti-trust concern on it.

  • +1
scrapking DonFerrari (on 01 April 2023)

But this isn't that, is it? This is Microsoft choosing to sell its product in one store at one price and another store at another price. In most countries, that would be allowed I believe. Same as how games might be a different price in the Windows Store, on Steam, on the Epic Store, and in GoG.

  • +1
DonFerrari scrapking (on 01 April 2023)

Probably an issue if let's say for one store to sell the game at 40 they charge 10 and for the other they charge 30 so the store need to price 60. But yes it is possible that no one would really complain unless of course MS makes it really big (like Epic gone against the Apple and Android stores).

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scrapking DonFerrari (on 01 April 2023)

But even if someone complained, I don't think there's any legal recourse. Microsoft is setting the price in every case.

  • +1
SecondWar G2ThaUNiT (on 20 March 2023)

Microsoft and Bethesda games still release on Steam alongside the Xbox store so presumably their mobile games would also release simultaneously on the App and Play stores.

  • +2