Microsoft is already preparing hard for a world where Apple will be forced to allow third-party app stores on the iPhone. In an interview with the Financial Times, Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Gaming, said the company wants to "be able to offer Xbox and content from us and our third-party developers on any screen that someone wants to play on."
Spencer is referring in particular to the Digital Markets Act, a new law that will come into force in the European Union in 2024. As previously reported, the DMA requires Apple to loosen its control over the iPhone and allow third-party alternatives to the App Store for the first time. gives Spencer:
The Digital Markets Act that is coming - these are the things we are planning. I think this is a great opportunity.
Although Microsoft wants to offer its Xbox ecosystem on all platforms, Spencer acknowledged that this is not currently possible on mobile devices.
Today we can't do that on mobile devices, but we want to work toward a world that we believe is coming where those devices will be open.
According to Spencer, smartphones are currently "the biggest platform on which gaming is done." He added that it would be "fairly trivial" for Microsoft to "adapt its Xbox and Game Pass applications to sell games and subscriptions on mobile devices."
Microsoft vs. Apple: The dispute over the App Store
All of this, however, depends on regulatory approval of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Spencer acknowledged to the Financial Times that Microsoft's current "lack of mobile games" represents an "obvious gap in our offering." But the transaction will be reviewed by the authorities themselves. However, the deal with Activision Blizzard will add hit games like Call of Duty Mobile, Diablo Immortal and Candy Crush Saga to its arsenal. These games would be "critical" to getting iPhone users to use an Xbox app store. Microsoft and Apple have been at odds for years over App Store rules that prohibit Microsoft from offering its own cloud gaming app for the iPhone. Apple's guidelines require each game to be listed individually in the App Store. Instead, Microsoft offers its Xbox Cloud Gaming service as a web-based app for iPhone and iPad users. (Photo by Unsplash / StorresJayrMx)
