Xbox Store: Microsoft may offer a game shop for Android and iPhone

TL;DR

• Microsoft might be working on an Xbox game store for Android and iOS/iPadOS.
• The upcoming shop would offer titles from Activision Blizzard and King.
• Microsoft needs to pass the ongoing investigation of its acquisition.

As spotted by The Verge, the ongoing investigation into Microsoft’s planned acquisition of developer Activision Blizzard has revealed a major potential plan of the company to introduce an Xbox game store for mobile. Notably, this will be different from the current Xbox mobile cloud gaming.

Microsoft to leverage popular Activision Blizzard games

At the same time, Microsoft wants to break the duopoly made by Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store in the mobile ecosystem. It also intends to leverage the popularity of Activision Blizzard and King’s games while expanding the current reach of the Xbox Store for consoles.

Microsoft could successfully launch an Xbox game store on Android due to the thin borders surrounding the ecosystem. As regards iPhones and iPads, it’s unlikely Apple would approve the upcoming shop since it has disabled the side-loading of third-party programs. Microsoft may offer a workaround like a web version, but it is unlikely to produce the same experience compared to a dedicated app version.

More importantly, the current Xbox game store is far from an actual service. Microsoft is still under scrutiny by the UK’s CMA (Competition and Markets Authority. Firstly, it needs to prove that its acquisition of Activision Blizzard won’t result in anti-competitive practices. Lastly, developing the new store could take a while before it will be ready for consumers.

Do you think the scenario of Microsoft launching a dedicated Xbox game store on iPhone or iPad will happen? Let us hear your thoughts in the comment section.