In May, Microsoft Xbox President Sarah Bond announced during an interview at the Bloomberg Technology Summit that the company would launch its long-awaited mobile game store sometime in July. However, that month came and went without that launch.
Today, The Verge reports that they have received a (sort of) update on that launch via Microsoft Xbox communications head Kari Perez. The spokesperson stated:
Testing has begun for our browser-based mobile store Our work is progressing well and we will have more to share in the future.
That statement would seem to suggest that a public launch of the mobile game store may take much longer than first thought.
If and when the mobile game store does launch to the public, there's some evidence that members of the Xbox Insider Program will get first crack at checking it out. A page on the Xbox website that shows a "mobilestore" URL, as found by "Klobrille" on X, would seem to indicate that will be Microsoft's plan for its release.
Bond had previously indicated during that interview in May that the launch of its mobile game store would be web-based, at least at first, rather than launching an app store on smartphones. Bond also stated a web-based store would allow it to reach a broader audience.
As far as content, Bond has said that at first, the store will feature Microsoft-developed and published mobile games. That might mean it will include titles like the mobile edition of Minecraft, along with Call of Duty Mobile. It might also have games like Candy Crush Saga from King, the mobile developed that Microsoft acquired when it purchased Activision Blizzard in October 2023.
Bond started back in May that Microsoft does have some plans to expand the reach of the mobile game store to third-party game developers and publishers, but details about those plans have yet to be revealed.
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