Microsoft is working on Xbox Store smartphone version with an eye on Activision games

Microsoft plans to bring the virtual Xbox Store to smartphones after its acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved by the CMA. The company says it wants to develop a direct competitor to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

The acquisition of Activision Blizzard would according to Microsoft contribute to the opportunity to develop ‘a new Xbox Mobile Platform’, such as reports The Verge. So far, the British market watchdog Competition and Markets Authority is blocking the takeover due to alleged competition barriers.

Microsoft argues that the acquisition should help it enter the mobile gaming market, not create a monopoly in the console market. “The transaction should enable Microsoft’s capabilities to create a next-gen game store for a variety of devices, including mobile, thanks to the addition of Activision Blizzard’s games.” In the document, the company cites Candy Crush Saga and Call of Duty: Mobile as examples of games that could contribute to the success of the Xbox Mobile Platform.

In doing so, Microsoft suggests that the games in question become exclusive in order to lure customers to the virtual store, something that the CMA can probably see as an obstacle to competition. Incidentally, the British market watchdog focuses its research mainly on the console gaming market, a segment that according to Microsoft is becoming less and less important. The unveiling of an Xbox store for smartphones should contribute to this point.

Microsoft’s plans are in line with the difficult acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The British market watchdog CMA recently announced the second, more decisive phase of its investigation into the acquisition. Microsoft obviously disagrees with this.

So far, the Xbox Store is only available on Xbox consoles and PC