Overview
- Asha Sharma, the new Xbox chief, said the idea of an Xbox mobile store is not dead after Wednesday reports that a test site had vanished.
- The URL that developers had used to preview the store now returns an error, which signaled to watchers that the public pilot was pulled down.
- Sharma cited Microsoft’s recent amicus brief in Epic v. Google, which asks the court to require easier ways to distribute rival Android stores.
- Reported paths forward include Google’s coming Registered App Store program or a version distributed through Google Play, both dependent on court and policy outcomes.
- Microsoft first promised a July 2024 web rollout and has blamed Apple and Google rules for blocking a full launch, with plans to tap franchises like Candy Crush and Minecraft once a route to phones opens.