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Xbox working with unknown partners on mobile store, says Phil Spencer

Microsoft's plans to open a mobile storefront were made public last October

Xbox is working with unknown partners to open a mobile storefront to rival the App Store and Google Play.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Xbox's Phil Spencer spoke of the firm's continued plans to expand into the mobile gaming market with its own store.

"It's an important part of our strategy and something we are actively working on today not only alone, but talking to other partners who'd also like to see more choice for how they can monetise on the phone," said Spencer.

He added: "We've talked about choice, and today on your mobile phones, you don't have choice. To make sure that Xbox is not only relevant today but for the next ten, twenty years, we're going to have to be strong across many screens."

As for when the store will launch, Spencer clarified that he didn't think it was "multiple years away" and instead would be "sooner than that."

Microsoft's plan to build a new games storefront was made public in October last year, revealed in a regulatory filing shared by the Competition and Markets Authority.

The firm described plans for a "next generation games store which operates across a range of devices, including mobile," referred to as the "Xbox Mobile Platform."

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Sophie McEvoy avatar
Sophie McEvoy is a Staff Writer at GamesIndustry.biz. She is based in Hampshire and has been a gaming & entertainment journalist since 2018.
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