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Microsoft is preparing to open up its Xbox mobile store by the looks of it. The company had confirmed earlier this year that it was looking to make a mobile store to compete with Google’s Play Store, where it would offer Xbox mobile games directly to Android users.
In fact, the confirmed timeframe for the new store was said to be coming in July. That’s according to Xbox President Sarah Bond. Seeing as it’s now July 30, there’s a good chance that the store will be active sometime tomorrow July 31. It’s also entirely possible that it might go beyond the July launch date.
As of right now, the store isn’t live but the webpage for it is. However, there’s nothing on the page except for a small note that thanks users for their patience while the store is being worked on. Additionally, the note appears to be addressing Xbox Insiders specifically. So it might launch for Insiders first.
The Xbox Mobile Store will launch first on the web likely in beta
Based on the mention of Xbox Insiders in the webpage note it seems likely the rollout for the store is going to be a beta. Another thing to note is that Bond doesn’t seem to have made any sort of distinction about the store being live for all Xbox users in July.
So it certainly seems Xbox Insiders will get the first crack at testing it. The store was spotted initially by X user Klobrille, and then reported on by Android Authority.
The Xbox Mobile store app will come later
While there will eventually be an app, it isn’t coming right away. Bond confirmed that the web store would arrive first and it would be testing it before moving to the next phase of rolling out the app. It’s also not known if Google’s Play Store policies would hold the app’s arrival back in terms of launch timing.
In terms of what games players could look forward to, specific titles weren’t named. But it was confirmed that the store would first focus on first-party titles like Candy Crush. So users could be looking at the original Candy Crush title and perhaps some of the games from Activision Blizzard. Such as Call of Duty: Mobile, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, Hearthstone, and Warcraft Rumble.