Microsoft has historically had a less dominant position in the distribution of smartphone applications. However, there are indications that this is changing as the company is preparing to introduce its own mobile gaming store. The purpose of this move is to disrupt the market's current duopoly, which is dominated by Apple and Google.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Phil Spencer, Microsoft's gaming head, stated that the Digital Market Act (DMA) of the European Union, which will take effect in March 2022, will aid the company in achieving its ambitions for a mobile app store. The DMA will enable companies to load their app stores on Apple and Android devices by requesting that Apple and Google open up their ecosystems. Spencer stated that Microsoft aims to provide Xbox and content from both themselves and their third-party partners on any screen where people wish to play games. He noted that currently, this is not possible on mobile devices, but the company is working towards a future where those devices are opened up.
Microsoft has had difficulty creating the user experience it desires with its Cloud Gaming app on Apple devices due to Apple's requirement that users download each game available to play on Microsoft's cloud offering. As a result, Microsoft has instructed users to sign in through Safari and follow instructions, which is less convenient than downloading an app from the App Store. Microsoft's efforts to establish its own app store for games are not unexpected, given Apple's restrictions on downloads and in-app purchases on its devices.
Microsoft has had difficulty creating the user experience it desires with its Cloud Gaming app on Apple devices due to Apple's requirement that users download each game available to play on Microsoft's cloud offering. As a result, Microsoft has instructed users to sign in through Safari and follow instructions, which is less convenient than downloading an app from the App Store. Microsoft's efforts to establish its own app store for games are not unexpected, given Apple's restrictions on downloads and in-app purchases on its devices.
Microsoft recently signed a 10-year agreement to bring Xbox games to Nintendo consoles and agreed to bring these games to cloud gaming services from Nvidia, Boosteroid, and Ubitus.
Author
-Anurag