According to Phil Spencer, the executive in charge of the company’s gaming business, Microsoft is preparing to introduce an iOS and Android Xbox shop. The change would allow customers to play on whatever screen they want with Xbox and content from third-party partners. In an interview with the Financial Times, Spencer provided the date. He also said that the plan depends on authorities accepting Microsoft’s $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard.
Since last year, Microsoft has been developing an Xbox shop for mobile devices, according to regulatory papers submitted to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). But, until now, the corporation has not given a release date. Spencer’s remarks imply that Microsoft wants to extend the reach of its gaming ecosystem beyond conventional consoles and PCs and is attempting to capitalise on an environment where mobile devices are becoming more accessible and providing additional gaming possibilities.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) of the European Union, which Microsoft is proposing, is about to go into action. Major platforms designated as “gatekeepers” will have to make their devices accessible to rival app shops in order to comply with the law. According to reports, Apple is already preparing iOS to be in compliance with the law before its March 2024 deadline. Companies designated as gatekeepers will be able to contest the classification, however, doing so may cause a delay in the law’s implementation.
Spencer has an upbeat attitude in the face of these regulatory obstacles. It would be “quite straightforward,” he said, for Microsoft to modify its current Xbox and Game Pass applications to allow for the sale of games and subscriptions through mobile devices. Spencer’s remarks imply that Microsoft is ready to take on the challenge and is making plans for a future in which mobile devices will play a significant role in the gaming ecosystem, even though there is no assurance that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard will close before the new rules apply to Apple and Google.
