Microsoft He has an ace up his sleeve if he manages to complete the purchase of Activision Blizzard. In accordance with Financial Timesthe technological will launch an app store on iPhone and Android in 2024. The company would take advantage of the entry into force of the European Union’s Digital Markets Law, which requires Apple and Google to allow alternative stores on their mobile platforms.
In an interview ahead of the Game Developers Conference, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, said that they want to be in a position to deliver content from both Xbox and its third-party partners to any screen. “Today, we can’t do that on mobile devices, but we want to build a world that we believe will go wherever those devices open up,” she said.
While the attention of regulators is focused on call of duty and Sony’s allegations about an alleged exclusivity on Xbox, Microsoft looks to mobile. The Digital Markets Law would not only allow the full entry of Game Pass on iOS, but also an app store where call of duty mobile avoid 30% tax required by Apple and Google.
For Phil Spencer, smartphones are the biggest platform people play games on. The purchase of Activision Blizzard would ensure that the mobile version of Call of Duty would be part of the company’s IP portfolio, just like the popular Candy Crush Saga and Devil Immortal. The head of Microsoft Gaming believes that these games are of the utmost importance to attract iOS and Android gamers to an Xbox app store.
call of duty mobile and Candy Crush Saga are more important than you thought
The controversy of the Activision Blizzard purchase agreement usually heats up the spirits among Xbox and PlayStation fans. The idea that the next call of duty follow the steps of Starfield and become exclusive to Microsoft consoles is unlikely. However, players and regulators see it as a vehicle to position Microsoft as a dominant company in the industry.
What few consider is that Candy Crush Saga and call of duty mobile are equal to or even more important than the shooter console. Spencer hits the nail on the head when he says that smartphones are the biggest platform people play games on. Even though he gamer traditional games tend to do less to mobile games, these versions generate hundreds of millions of dollars every quarter.
A report of MobileGamer.biz at the end of 2022 gave a glimpse of how Activision and Take Two Interactive made more money from their mobile games than with the PC and consoles combined. The report mentions that more than half of the net income of both companies was obtained from games such as Candy Crush Saga, Call of Duty: Mobile, Empires & Puzzles and Toon Blast.
Activision Blizzard’s top-grossing mobile games during Q3 2022 were.
- Candy Crush Saga – $316.8 million
- Devil Immortal – $212.2 million
- Call of Duty: Mobile – $89.4 million
- Candy Crush Soda – $72.9 million
- hearthstone – $18.6 million
A Microsoft app store will only be possible in Europe
Although the European Commission is set to approve the purchase agreement, Microsoft still has to deal with the CMA (UK) and FTC (US). It is relevant to mention that the idea of an app store with Xbox and Activision Blizzard games would be limited to Europe. The Digital Markets Law only covers the member states of the European Union, so users from the rest of the world could not take advantage of this advantage.
If the FTC and other regulators take similar steps to end the Apple-Google duopolyMicrosoft would not be the only company to launch its application store. For several months, Epic Games has been waging a legal battle with both companies in order to offer Fortnite and his app store on iOS and Android. Although a judge ruled in favor of Apple, Epic appealed the decision, so the lawsuit will be valid until 2026.