Xbox "actively working" with partners on mobile store, Phil Spencer says
"I don't think this is multiple years away."
Xbox is "actively working" on launching a mobile store that will compete with the likes of Apple and Google.
Speaking in Sao Paulo during the CCXP comics and entertainment convention, Xbox head Phil Spencer said the move into the mobile market is an "important part" of the company's strategy (thanks, Bloomberg).
"[It's] something we are actively working on today not only alone, but talking to other partners who'd also like to see more choice for how they can monetise on the phone," Spencer said.
Spencer refrained from giving any specific timeframe for the launch of Xbox's online store. However, he did suggest it would be sooner rather than later. "I don't think this is multiple years away," Spencer said. "I think this is sooner than that."
He continued: "We've talked about choice, and today on your mobile phones, you don't have choice... To make sure that Xbox is not only relevant today but for the next 10, 20 years, we're going to have to be strong across many screens."
There has long been word that Xbox was looking to build an Xbox mobile gaming store. News about this upcoming store emerged in October last year, as part of the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in Microsoft's $68.7bn buyout of Activision Blizzard.
Meanwhile, in conversation with Eurogamer back in August, Spencer emphasised the importance of mobile for Xbox to continue to grow its audience - and said it was the core reason behind Microsoft's interest in buying Activision Blizzard (including its mobile arm King) for $68.7bn.
"The reason we're in the acquisition discussion with Activision Blizzard King is around their mobile capability," Spencer told our Tom, acknowledging this is something Xbox just doesn't have at the moment.
"We obviously already have Call of Duty on our platform, we already have Diablo on our platform. So it's not about new games that Xbox players don't have access to today. It is about a capability on mobile, and some broader ambitions that we have on the largest gaming platform, which is mobile phones."