Highlights
- Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirms the mobile game store is still in development despite recent rumors of its cancellation.
- Launch delays stem from Microsoft’s ongoing antitrust legal battle with Apple over mobile storefront competition.
- The company’s new strategy focuses on daily active players through a borderless, cloud-powered gaming ecosystem.
Microsoft is setting the record straight for gamers who are eagerly awaiting a new way to play on their phones. The highly anticipated Xbox mobile game store for iOS and Android is still in development. Rumors had recently swirled that the quiet disappearance of the storefront meant it was canceled, especially since the project has stalled with its test site now offline. However, Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma has officially stepped in to reassure the community that the storefront remains a critical piece of the company's multi-platform strategy.
Addressing the growing speculation, Sharma took to social media and a recent blog post to calm the waters. She acknowledged the community's concerns, noting that although the test site was last updated nearly a year ago and recently vanished into a dead-end 404 error, the dream of a dedicated mobile shop is far from over. “While I am still learning, the idea of an Xbox mobile store is not dead,” Sharma stated, injecting a dose of honest optimism into the conversation.
The journey to bring this dedicated Xbox store to your phone's home screen has undeniably been a massive uphill battle. Originally teased back in 2022, former Xbox President Sarah Bond officially announced a target launch of July 2024 for a web-based store, as per Pocketgamer.biz.
The platform was set to feature heavyweight titles like Call of Duty: Mobile, Minecraft, and Candy Crush, even offering early beta testers in-app purchase discounts to encourage players to jump on board. However, that July release window came and went with no further updates, leaving fans wondering what happened to the ambitious project.
A New Focus on Daily Active Players
This stalled rollout stems directly from Microsoft's ongoing legal war with Apple over its restrictive app store policies and high fees. Just three weeks before Sharma's reassurance, Microsoft filed an amicus brief supporting Epic Games in its ongoing antitrust case, specifically targeting rules that limit developers' ability to promote alternative payments.
Sharma explained the move by stating, “Three weeks ago, we filed an amicus because mobile competition still matters and we believe the future of play should be more open.” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has publicly backed these efforts, celebrating Microsoft's push to evolve the Xbox app into a full-fledged, multiplatform game store.
Despite these hurdles, Microsoft is aggressively pivoting to capture mobile-first audiences and build a truly borderless gaming world. Sharma outlined a broader gaming strategy focused on connecting players and creators everywhere, noting that while the console remains the foundation for a premium experience, cloud technology brings that experience to any device. By ensuring that your games, progress, friends, and identity stay with you effortlessly, Xbox states its "new north star will be daily active players.”
