In July, Microsoft will launch a marketplace with games, initially featuring titles from its own studios (such as Call of Duty: Mobile, Candy Crush, and Minecraft), and then expand the lineup to include other publishers.
The Xbox Store, which will serve as an alternative to the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, will operate not as an app, but as a website - Microsoft aims to provide access to it for a larger number of devices and countries.
However, it is not clear how these games will be distributed on the internet. iOS supports side loading, but currently only in the EU.
Microsoft first hinted at a "next-generation store" in early 2022, just one month after announcing the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
"We want to be able to offer Xbox and content from us and our third-party partners on any device where games can be played," said Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer in an interview with the Financial Times last year. "Today, we can't do this on mobile devices, but we want to build a world where we can."
This week, Microsoft closed several Bethesda studios - including the developers of Redfall and Hi-Fi Rush. They will also shut down the mobile game producer Mighty Doom Alpha Dog Studios, while Roundhouse Games will absorb The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios.
Bloomberg also reported that Microsoft is asking several current ZeniMax team members, including producers and quality testers, to agree to voluntary layoffs. The company is also considering other measures to increase game revenue, including raising prices for the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service and possibly offering more games, such as Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, for the Sony PlayStation 5 console.
Source: 9to5google, The Verge
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