Microsoft will launch its own App Store on iOS for Xbox games and third-party content next year: report

Microsoft could launch its app store on iPhone and iPad as soon as 2024. The European Union’s Digital Markets Act will bring major changes in March 2024, allowing other app and game developers to introduce their own app stores that could coexist. with the Apple App Store on iOS and iPadOS. And now it looks like Microsoft will be among the first players to launch its own Xbox app and game store after EU rules come into effect.

According to a Financial Times report, Microsoft head of games Phil Spencer revealed ahead of the annual game developer conference that the company wants to open its own app store for iOS and Android. The store is expected to go live by March 2024, shortly after Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $69 billion (about Rs 5,68,094 crore).

Spencer says Microsoft wants to bring the Xbox experience along with all of its associated content to all screens, especially mobile devices. The current scenario does not allow Microsoft to do this on mobile, but the company wants it to happen in the near future.

As Microsoft currently deals with antitrust regulators concerned that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard will hurt competition in the market, Spencer thinks the deal could help smartphone gamers get more options, which he sees as the biggest platform people are playing on right now.

Microsoft’s App Store could also help the company grow its cloud gaming service, which is currently available in a limited state on iOS. While Android users have a dedicated app for this, iPhone users need to access it through the web browser. If Microsoft were to have an app, it would have to list all of those games individually on the App Store, with Apple taking a 30% discount on each sale. Microsoft’s App Store could help the company circumvent Apple’s App Store rules.

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