Thanks to the measures introduced by the DMA, Microsoft will launch its own mobile applications and games store in July 2024, thus positioning itself as a direct competitor to the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox Game Studios, had already displayed in March 2023 Microsoft’s desire to open its own application store dedicated to games in a market hitherto controlled by Google with the Play Store and Apple with the App Store. To succeed in establishing itself on smartphones, the Redmond firm is counting on the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard but also on the entry into force in March 2024 of the Digital Markets Act – the famous DMA (see our article) –, a European legislation which must regulate digital markets by limiting the abuses of large American groups such as Apple, Meta, Google and Amazon.
Indeed, the law signed by the Commission and the European Parliament puts an end to the de facto monopolies of mobile application stores for Android and iOS by forcing Google and Apple to offer an alternative to their own solutions on their devices. Nothing insurmountable for the Mountain View firm, Android is already open to alternative application stores from manufacturers and other players (Amazon Appstore, Galaxy Store, Mi Store, etc.) while allowing users to install on their devices – smartphones and tablets – apps and games not from its Play Store. As for Apple, which had a monopoly on iPhones and iPads, the Apple brand retained total control of its ecosystem, including mobile applications. This future store will finally be launched in July 2024, as Xbox president Sarah Bond revealed in an interview with at Bloomberg.
Xbox Store: an application store dedicated to games
The project of an applications store – an Xbox Store – had already been mentioned in October 2022. Microsoft will be able to rely on the flagship licenses of Activision-Blizzard-King, such as Call of Duty, Minecraft And Candy Crush Saga, but also, subsequently, on third-party developers to fill its mobile video game store. After this first phase, the Redmond firm will open its store to other developers.
The solution chosen by Microsoft to offer its games may, however, be surprising. Sarah Bond indeed indicates:“We’re going to start with the web, and we’re doing it because it really allows us to have an accessible experience on all devices, in all countries, no matter what and regardless of the closed store policies of the ecosystem “. Going through Web technology, if it is not the most practical solution, far from it, would have the merit of allowing Microsoft to offer its store all over the world, and not just in the European Union. “This allows us to deliver an accessible experience to all devices, in all countries, regardless of closed ecosystem store policies. Then we’ll expand from there,” explains Sarah Bond. A great opportunity to create new competition for the App Store and the Play Store. Above all, this would allow users to download applications without going through the App Store – and therefore not pay the famous commission on in-app purchases.