As the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigates the $68.7 billion case, Microsoft recently revealed in its plans to create a new ” mobile Xbox ” platform that will include mobile games from Activision and King.
The company stated in its filings that “the transaction will enhance Microsoft’s ability to create a next-generation game store that operates on a variety of devices, including mobile, as a result of incorporating Activision Blizzard content.”
Building on Activision Blizzard’s existing player communities, Xbox will look to scale the Xbox Store to mobile devices, bringing gamers to a new Xbox mobile platform.
Mobile games are some of the most popular downloads on the app stores, so it’s no surprise that Microsoft wants in on the action. A chart on showed that the mobile gaming market was worth $85 billion in 2020.
Microsoft added in its filings with the CMA: “Revenue from mobile games from the King division and titles such as ‘Call of Duty: Mobile’, as well as ancillary revenue, accounted for more than half of Activision Blizzard’s revenue and in the first half of 2022.”
The deal with Activision Blizzard appears to be Microsoft’s answer to developing its mobile gaming presence and competing with rivals Google and Apple.
a difficult game
However, it will not be easy to compete against the tech giants. A study by data.ai and IDC found that in the first quarter of 2022, consumers spent more than $1.6 billion per week on mobile games on both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
“Moving consumers away from the Google Play Store and App Store on mobile devices will require a major shift in consumer behavior. Microsoft hopes that by offering familiar and popular content, gamers will be more inclined to try something new.”
In August, Sony’s PlayStation announced the acquisition of . The Xbox competitor said the mobile game developer would join its new PlayStation Studios mobile division to help with its mobile gaming efforts.
