Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com March 20 news, according to the British "Financial Times", Microsoft Xbox head Phil Spencer said that if regulators approve its $68.7 billion (CTOnews.com note: currently about 473.343 billion yuan) acquisition of Activision Blizzard deal, Microsoft plans to launch a new game app store on iPhone and Android smartphones as early as next year.

Under the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple must open its mobile store after March 2024, forcing the platform to allow users to install and uninstall software outside the official store, and not allowing large companies like Apple and Google to prevent developers from integrating third-party payment methods to bypass the platform.

Microsoft Xbox CEO Phil Spencer said in an interview ahead of this week's annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco: "We want to be able to offer Xbox and our content and third-party partners on any device people want to play. "

"Today we can't do that on mobile, but we want to build a world with open devices. "

While PlayStation maker Sony has been publicly opposed to Microsoft's proposed Activision deal, Spencer believes the deal could boost competitive structures on what he calls "the most popular gaming platform people play." Apple and Google are known to have what regulators call a "duopoly" of App distribution models in the smartphone market.

"The upcoming Digital Markets Act is exactly what we plan to do," he said."I think it's a huge opportunity."

According to DMA, the EU will designate Apple and Google as "gatekeepers" and require them to change the distribution rules of apps on iPhone and Android devices, but it is clear that the two sides will not give up this part of the profits so easily, believing that they will appeal the order or postpone the enforcement period until after the deadline in March next year.

Spencer acknowledged that Microsoft has a hard time predicting exactly when it will launch its own store, but he said Microsoft can easily tweak Xbox and Game Pass apps on mobile devices, which he considers "pretty trivial." He added that Microsoft's current lack of mobile games is "a clear hole in our capabilities" that Activision Blizzard needs to fill.

He said popular games such as Call of Duty Mobile, Diablo Immortal and Candy Legend, as well as games currently in development, were "critical" to attracting Apple and Android players to the Xbox mobile games store.

In addition, Microsoft and Apple have been arguing for years over how Microsoft's cloud-based gaming service (part of Xbox Game Pass) works on the iPhone. Microsoft argues that Apple App Store rules limit its ability to offer cloud games on the iPhone, forcing users to play cloud games through the browser, resulting in a degraded gaming experience.

Of course, Apple certainly denies blocking cloud games, but App Store rules do require game publishers to list each game separately on the App Store, and Apple does not allow users to buy other games in the in-app store.

CMA proved to be a major obstacle to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard. CMA said last month that the deal raises multiple competitive concerns that can only be addressed by spinning off its blockbuster Call of Duty franchise.

Microsoft argues that spinning off Call of Duty would affect its trading objectives and that it is trying to convince CMA that its proposed remedies, such as promising to license Call of Duty to competitors for 10 years, address CMA's concerns.

Microsoft has now made a "binding commitment" to the European Commission to make Activision Blizzard content available to rival cloud game providers in an attempt to allay EU regulators 'concerns about the acquisition, according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussions.

EU regulators have dispelled major concerns and narrowed their investigation into cloud gaming, the people said.

Welcome to subscribe "Shulou Technology Information " to get latest news, interesting things and hot topics in the IT industry, and controls the hottest and latest Internet news, technology news and IT industry trends.