With the Activision Blizzard acquisition under its belt, and the mobile expertise of King sitting under the Xbox banner, Microsoft is continuing its push into mobile gaming. Phil Spencer has confirmed that the company is discussing the Xbox mobile store with partners, and it shouldn’t be “multiple years away.”As reported by Bloomberg, Xbox boss Phil Spencer discussed the Xbox mobile store, its Apple and Google competitor, during the CCXP comics and entertainment convention. Microsoft finally closed its $69 billion deal for Activision Blizzard King earlier this year after a hefty fight with a number of regulators over Call of Duty’s exclusivity. For Microsoft, the expertise mobile game developer King could offer its Xbox mobile store shouldn’t be underestimated, and it looks like the company is hard at work on its latest service.“It’s an important part of our strategy and something we are actively working on today not only alone, but talking to other partners who’d also like to see more choice for how they can monetize on the phone,’’ Spencer said. Later adding: “I don’t think this is multiple years away, I think this is sooner than that.”Microsoft revealed its plans for an Xbox mobile store when replying to the CMA last year, saying that it would allow the company to “scale the Xbox Store to mobile, attracting gamers to a new Xbox Mobile Platform.” As we mentioned above, King’s experience with Call of Duty Mobile and Candy Crush would give it the boost it needs to compete with mobile juggernauts Apple and Google. While Spencer didn’t give a clear launch window during his appearance at the CCXP comics and entertainment convention, it still sounds like we could see the store arrive next year. Back in March, Spencer told the Financial Times that the Xbox mobile store could launch as early as 2024 if regulators approved its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Like our Sean, we’re hoping the conclusion of the Activision Blizzard deal will spark an Xbox achievements renaissance on mobile with the Xbox mobile store next year.
Source link
