Microsoft launches mobile game shop in July

Microsoft has announced its plans to launch a mobile game shop in July. It will be a web shop that will initially offer games from Microsoft.

Here's What We Know

The company has long stated its intention to create a mobile app shop as an alternative to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Xbox president Sarah Bond confirmed at the Bloomberg Technology Summit that Microsoft will launch a mobile game shop in July. The shop will launch with Microsoft games and then open up to other publishers. Microsoft will also offer discounts on in-game items for games such as Candy Crush. Bond added that it will be a web shop rather than a regular app, allowing it to be "available on all devices, in all countries, regardless of the policies of closed, ecosystem shops."

In addition to Candy Crush, the Xbox president said Minecraft could be another game to appear on the web shop early on. It's unclear whether Microsoft will offer these games via download, streaming, or both. Either way, the company already offers its own Xbox Cloud Gaming service, which allows Xbox Game Pass subscribers to stream games over the internet to their PC, console or mobile device.

The announcement comes after Google and Apple came under prolonged scrutiny over their app shop duopoly and both companies were forced to make changes by various governments.

Source: Bloomberg