Microsoft is Preparing to Launch an App Store for iPhone

Microsoft is preparing to launch an App Store for iOS and Android, reports the Financial Times. The app store could arrive as early as next year, if the company's $75 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is cleared by regulators.

The EU's Digital Markets Act entered into force last November and requires that companies comply with its rules by March 2024. This means Apple will need to allow sideloading and third party app stores on iPhone, at least in the European Union, ending its monopoly on app distribution.

"We want to be in a position to offer Xbox and content from both us and our third-party partners across any screen where somebody would want to play," says Phil Spencer, chief executive of Microsoft Gaming. "Today, we can't do that on mobile devices but we want to build towards a world that we think will be coming where those devices are opened up."


"The Digital Markets Act that's coming — those are the kinds of things that we are planning for," he said. "I think it's a huge opportunity."

Microsoft has long fought with Apple over the distribution of cloud-based games on iOS, forcing the company to launch Xbox Cloud Gaming as a web app. Notably, the UK has now launched a formal investigation into Apple and Google over cloud gaming and mobile browsers.

While DMA could provide significant opportunities from Microsoft on iOS, it's still struggling to get its acquisition of Activision Blizzard approved by regulators. In an effort to close the deal, Microsoft has reportedly made binding commitments to make content available to rival cloud gaming providers.

More details in the full report linked below...


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