The Xbox mobile store will open up soon, allowing gamers to buy Xbox titles directly from a mobile app.
Epic Games made history in its landmark trial against Google. The Epic v Google antitrust case has concluded, with a federal judge officially ordering that Google open up the Play Store and allow competing storefronts on its billion-dollar app marketplace. This means that native Android apps like the Xbox app and the Epic Games Store can not only show up on the Google Play Store, but can also sell games directly to consumers.
Xbox President Sarah Bond has confirmed that the Xbox app will soon turn into an Xbox mobile store starting in November:
"The court's ruling to open up Google´s mobile store in the US will allow more choice and flexibility. Our mission is to allow more players to play on more devices so we are thrilled to share that starting in November, players will be able to play and purchase Xbox games directly from the Xbox App on Android," Bond wrote on Twitter.
The news comes at a pivotal time for Xbox and Microsoft.
The company purchased Activision Blizzard King in July 2023 for $70 billion, with the acquisition closing shortly after the FTC v Microsoft federal trial was wrapped up (in Microsoft's favor). A major impetus for the tech industry's largest-ever buyout was mobile, as Activision had started generating more money from mobile than consoles and PC combined for certain periods.
Armed with Call of Duty Mobile, Candy Crush, and Diablo Immortal, Xbox can mesh these Activision properties with its own (albeit sparse) mobile hits, such as Minecraft.
Microsoft had strategic plans to use these games and team up with other publishers and developers to facilitate a fully-fledged Xbox mobile store. But now that won't really be necessary--Microsoft could fold the mobile store directly into the existing Xbox app on Android, and just have a sidebar or specific section for mobile games.