It has come to light that Microsoft will finally be launching a mobile game store. The company's mobile game store will be web browser-based, allowing users to download mobile games and obtain add-ons and in-app purchases at discounted prices on iOS and Android devices.

This announcement was revealed by Microsoft Xbox President Sarah Bond during an interview at the Bloomberg Technology Summit. According to her, the reason the company decided to launch a browser-based store rather than an app is to ensure access "across every device, every country, whatever it might be" without being "locked into a single ecosystem."

In July, we're going to launch that mobile store experience. What we're going to do is we're going to start bringing our own first party portfolio into that mobile store. So you'll see things like Candy Crush, you'll see things like Minecraft, come into that mobile store. And then we're going to extend that capability to partners, so that they can use it to actually deliver a true cross-platform, gaming-centric mobile experience.

One factor behind this move by Microsoft is likely the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which has forced Apple to change its policies and offer sideloading to iOS users.

However, the issue is that while users based in the EU will be able to sideload apps on Apple devices, users in other regions will still have to rely on the App Store.

Therefore, one could say that the reason Microsoft decided to release its mobile game store in a web browser-based format is that this is the only way to make Xbox games available globally across the entire mobile ecosystem. This approach allows Microsoft to bypass brand and country-specific policies, enabling it to roll out its app marketplace globally more easily and quickly.

It appears Microsoft will start by offering only its own games. While specific titles have not yet been revealed, based on Bond's comments, it's almost certain that titles like Candy Crush and Minecraft will appear. Titles from Activision Blizzard, whose acquisition was completed last year, are also expected.

Microsoft plans to open the app store to third-party publishers in the future, but has not disclosed a timeline for this.

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