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Microsoft first revealed it was building an Xbox mobile gaming store to take on Apple and Google all the way back in 2022. Former Xbox president Sarah Bond even went on stage at a Bloomberg event nearly two years ago and promised the store would launch in July, 2024. Now, it looks like Microsoft has put the project on hold.
Better xCloud developer redphx noticed that the store URL Microsoft had been testing for the past couple of years no longer works. It’s not clear exactly when it disappeared, but the last time the website was updated was nearly a year ago.
The store was originally supposed to compete with Google and Apple, but strict app store rules have prevented Microsoft from launching its dream Xbox mobile store.
“Three weeks ago, we filed an amicus because mobile competition still matters and we believe the future of play should be more open,” says Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma. “While I am still learning, the idea of an Xbox mobile store is not dead.”
Microsoft was hoping the outcome of the Digital Markets Act in Europe or court action in the US would help force open Google and Apple’s stores, but the company then pivoted to just a web-based version that would provide deals on in-game items. While the idea might not be dead, Microsoft has been trying for years to get this thing off the ground and it’s hard to imagine it will launch any time soon.
“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,” said former Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer in an interview in 2023. “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.”
Three years later, Microsoft is still waiting for those devices to be opened up.