During the 2023 Comic Con Experience (November 30 – December 3) in São Paulo, Brazil, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer spoke with Bloomberg’s Rachel Gamarski to confirm the company’s strategy to build an Xbox mobile store with the help of like-minded partners.
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. We’ve talked about choice, and today on your mobile phones, you don’t have choice. To make sure that Xbox is not only relevant today but for the next 10, 20 years, we’re going to have to be strong across many screens.
It’s not hard to imagine at least one of those partners. Epic Games has been at the forefront of the battle against Apple and Google to get iOS and Android open to games and app developers without necessarily having to go through the official stores and the massive 30% cut they require. They’ve waged very expensive lawsuits against both tech giants to achieve that goal. Microsoft has publicly supported Epic Games ever since Tim Sweeney started his fight with Apple, and it would come as no surprise to learn they’ve been working together to build an alternative store. After all, the Epic Games Founder and CEO buried his hatchet with Microsoft a long time ago.
In the Bloomberg interview, Phil Spencer also hinted the mobile store could happen sooner rather than later:
I don’t think this is multiple years away; I think this is sooner than that.
Indeed, this lines up with a recent comment from The Verge journalist Tom Warren that Microsoft could launch their store as soon as next year. A lot hinges on the Digital Markets Act, as Phil Spencer himself said earlier this year. While the EU regulation mostly became applicable on May 2nd, the so-called gatekeepers (such as Apple and Google) have until March 6, 2024 to comply.
This would open up a huge market for companies like Microsoft and Epic Games. Without really being that involved in gaming (except for Apple Arcade and the now-defunct Google Stadia), Apple and Google are the #3 and #6 top-earning game companies by revenue simply by virtue of the fee they get from any purchases made through their stores. The mobile games segment grows much faster than PC or consoles, making it extremely palatable for any self-respecting company; even Sony is trying to get into this market.
Following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft can now count on juggernauts like Candy Crush, Call of Duty Mobile, and Diablo Immortal. If it could avoid giving Apple and Google their 30% cut, the already huge mobile game revenue earned by these titles would get even bigger.
At CCXP 2023, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer was also interviewed by Brazilian streamer and Team Liquid member Claudia Andriolo (Haru Jiggly). The executive said he’s still playing Starfield on Game Pass alongside indie game SpiritTea and Persona 5 Tactica. Looking forward to 2024, he’s most excited about Ninja Theory’s Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, commenting that he loves how the game is coming together and adding there’s not much longer to wait.
On that note, Hellblade II recently received a new rating in Australia. It could be for a trailer to be shown at next week’s The Game Awards or for the full game. Either way, it’ll be months, not years, now.
