Xbox to launch its own mobile game store in July

Microsoft has been making a lot of headlines in recent days following the announcement that they will be closing down 4 Bethesda studios including the much-loved Tango Gameworks. In amongst all this, the console manufacturer also revealed their plans to launch a standalone Xbox web app, allowing the $3 Trillion company to get 100% of the revenue from Candy Crush microtransactions.

During a recent interview with Bloomberg, Xbox President Sarah Bond revealed that Microsoft currently have a mobile web app in the works, stating:

“In July, we’re going to be launching our mobile store experience. We’re going to start actually by bringing our own first-party portfolio to that. So you’re going to see games like Candy Crush show up in that experience, games like Minecraft.”

Bond continued, “And then we’re going to extend that capability to partners so that they can also take advantage of it and have a true cross-platform gaming centric mobile experience,” – presumably with a cut going to Microsoft.

The app will first launch as a web-only experience likely due to the fact that the EU’s Digital Markets Act has yet to be fully implemented across the board – though Bond claims the reason for going the web-app route is to “allow us to have it be an experience that’s accessible across all devices, all countries, no matter what independent of the policies of, you know, closed ecosystem stores.”

With the purchase of Activision Blizzard King, Microsoft do have a strong selection of mobile titles under their wing. That said, it will be interesting to see whether this web-store finds a wide enough adoption following its launch in a few months.

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KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest move? Would you use the app if it meant you’d get a discount on COD points? Let us know down below.

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