Bloomberg -- Microsoft to Launch Mobile Game Store

[John Elden Ring]

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(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. will launch its own mobile game store on the internet in July, creating an alternative to Apple Inc. and Google’s app stores and their fees.

The store will launch with Microsoft’s own games, including Candy Crush Saga, Xbox President Sarah Bond said Thursday at the Bloomberg Technology Summit. Later, Microsoft will open the store to other publishers.

Bond says the store is launching on the web, versus an app, so it’s “accessible across all devices, all countries, no matter what, independent of the policies of closed ecosystem stores.”

Apple and Google dominate the app stores where game developers release titles, charging an approximate 30% fee on sales. In late 2023, Microsoft gaming head Phil Spencer shared that the company is in talks with partners to launch its own Xbox app store.

The European Union’s Digital Markets Act, which went into effect this year, freed tech companies to start their own direct-to-consumer web stores and avoid Apple and Google’s fees. In early May, some TikTok users reported seeing links to a TikTok web store, where they could purchase TikTok coins at a discount.

Microsoft lagged behind game industry competitors in entering the $90 billion mobile gaming market. Now, the company’s Xbox unit is poised to make a big splash after its $69 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard, owner of the Candy Crush and Call of Duty. Candy Crush has been downloaded 5 billion times since its 2012 debut and generated $20 billion in revenue.

Tech giants have been battling over the future of digital storefronts for mobile games since 2020, when Fortnite maker Epic Games Inc. launched its Project Liberty campaign.

The company announced users would get a 20% discount buying Fortnite currency on its own website. In response, Apple and Google deleted Fortnite from their app stores. Epic filed lawsuits against both tech giants, alleging illegal monopolistic control over their mobile phone ecosystems.

 

[Box]

Who the F!ck is going to pay a monthly subscription fee to play Candy Crush, when you can download it for free?

 

[Nhomnhom]

MS is the perfect company to thrive in the world of mobile scumbagary.

 

[Sloane_Ranger]

This feels like a better fit for the MS team than console and PC gaming

 

[mibu no ookami]

Who the F!ck is going to pay a monthly subscription fee to play Candy Crush, when you can download it for free?

Who said anything about a monthly subscription?

I called this as soon as we heard about the ABK deal and Microsofts fight to diminish the Apple app store. The ABK deal was never really about Xbox as much as it was creating mobile stores on Android and iPhone. They'll start with games but then they'll expand to non gaming apps.

It's actually a brilliant move.

 

[Box]

Who said anything about a monthly subscription?

I called this as soon as we heard about the ABK deal and Microsofts fight to diminish the Apple app store. The ABK deal was never really about Xbox as much as it was creating mobile stores on Android and iPhone. They'll start with games but then they'll expand to non gaming apps.

It's actually a brilliant move.

Nobody is going to download a seperate store just to play candy crush, are Microsoft retarded?

 

[Zzero]

If you think PC fans are snippy about downloading extra clients, you'll just love mobile users.

 

[JAHGamer]

you gotta be a special type of stupid to think making people use a browser to access mobile apps is a "brilliant move" good lord

it's DOA

 

[Neversummer]

Them opening a mobile store with only candy crush & minecraft is bizarre why even launch it when it seems undercook & rushed out like there running out of time before MS completely shuts down Xbox & everything that isn’t selling 5 million while being fully multiplat. What exactly is there goal in gaming & trying to “reach everyone”. People will stick to iOS since it’s behind a prominent hardware & has exclusive benefits/apps.

Unless MS makes mobile games that are exclusive this is going nowhere oh & it’s through web why not consolidate it under the MS store? MS is creating multiple stores that do the same while competing with each other.

Half brick has an app that acts as a mobile store call Halfbrick+ & has small half brick games that are exclusive by paying a small subscription fee. I don’t see what MS is trying to do w a mobile store unless they make exclusive games from there key franchise which kinda defeat mobile since you have to be on iOS or your creating a mobile game otherwise it’s not really a mobile game & instead it’s more of a PC game just design in the scope of a mobile game.

Again if you want to push a platform hardware or storefront you need exclusives games solely found on that storefront so Minecraft & Candy Crush on a MS mobile store doesn’t do anything people will play it on IOS & Android or on the platform they preferred

 

[Polyh3dron]

1. acquire publisher that makes insane money from a mobile free-to-play game which is successful partly due to ease of access
2. make users jump through more hoops in order to access that free-to-play game
3. ????
4. PROFIT!!

 

[Neversummer]

Who the F!ck is going to pay a monthly subscription fee to play Candy Crush, when you can download it for free?

What it’s a subscription? I thought it was just a mobile store where they will release there mobile games exclusive similar to a Riot launcher. Yuh I don’t get there better of making a mobile subscription giving Candy Crush players extra hearts & Minecraft mobile players exclusive cosmetic

 

[Neversummer]

Nobody is going to download a seperate store just to play candy crush, are Microsoft retarded?

Especially when there already on iOS & Android. IOS got exclusive mobile games by default it’s almost like Steam but for mobile.

 

[Box]

1. acquire publisher that makes insane money from a mobile free-to-play game which is successful partly due to ease of access
2. make users jump through more hoops in order to access that free-to-play game
3. ????
4. PROFIT!!

Phil Spencer is a master at his craft

I'm sure he will also find a way to destroy COD

 

[mibu no ookami]

Nobody is going to download a seperate store just to play candy crush, are Microsoft retarded?

• Enterprise can and will roll out an appstore if its the only place to get Microsoft suite apps which I think will eventually came to an app based store rather than the initial website Microsoft is planning for games
• Microsoft can work with telephony providers to preload the appstore on devices
• Microsoft can work with Samsung to ensure the appstore is on Galaxy phones with profit sharing
• Eventually the only way to download certain apps is going to be through the Microsoft store
  • Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneDrive
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Linkedin
  • Microsoft Authenticator
  • Microsoft Remote Desktop
  • Microsoft OneNote
  • Microsoft Outlook
    • Look how many times these applications have been installed
• Microsoft can offer discounted/free apps/games to people who use GamePass
• Advertisements can lead directly to the website/app store download

 

[Box]

• Enterprise can and will roll out an appstore if its the only place to get Microsoft suite apps which I think will eventually came to an app based store rather than the initial website Microsoft is planning for games
• Microsoft can work with telephony providers to preload the appstore on devices
• Microsoft can work with Samsung to ensure the appstore is on Galaxy phones with profit sharing
• Eventually the only way to download certain apps is going to be through the Microsoft store
  • Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneDrive
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Linkedin
  • Microsoft Authenticator
  • Microsoft Remote Desktop
  • Microsoft OneNote
  • Microsoft Outlook
    • Look how many times these applications have been installed
• Microsoft can offer discounted/free apps/games to people who use GamePass
• Advertisements can lead directly to the website/app store download

Nobody besides tech illiterate boomers use those apps.

Outlook really? Lmao

Thanks for the laugh

 

[mibu no ookami]

Nobody besides tech illiterate boomers use those apps.

Outlook really? Lmao

Thanks for the laugh

You realize that entire organizations use outlook right? Nope, sorry, I know that you don't.

 

[Johnic]

Their own store worked out well last time...

 

[mibu no ookami]

Their own store worked out well last time...

How was Google Chrome a success when Google Stadia failed? How was Youtube a success if Google Video failed?

 

[Gods&Monsters]

You realize that entire organizations use outlook right? Nope, sorry, I know that you don't.

Who is this store for? Customers or Corporations? If it's customers it's DOA.

Customers don't want anything to do with Microsoft products. Xbox, phone, mixer, explorer, Bing. No one cares. MS = Excel spreadsheet at work. They have to hide the Xbox logo in Minecraft for fear of people deleting the game

I'm sure Outlook is on Windows Store but people still use Steam. MS Word and Outlook is not a draw

 

[Box]

You realize that entire organizations use outlook right? Nope, sorry, I know that you don't.

Any organisation that takes secruity and encryption seriously uses Proton. I wouldn't waste my time in a low end company that still uses outlook, what's next internet Explorer? Lmao

Also when it comes tech companies Linux has always been the preferred OS.