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UPDATE: Xbox chief Asha Sharma responds on X that a mobile store could still happen, though the store's website is still offline.
"Three weeks ago, we filed an amicus because mobile competition still matters and we believe the future of play should be more open," she tweeted. "While I am still learning, the idea of an Xbox mobile store is not dead."
The brief, posted online by The Verge, is related to the ongoing Epic Games vs. Google lawsuit, and backs allowing third-party app stores on Google Play without delay.
"This is great news," Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said in response to Sharma's tweet. "Open platforms are a beautiful thing, and in the world of billion-user consumer devices, Android is at the forefront again."
Original Story 4/22:
A mobile version of Microsoft's Xbox store, designed to sell smartphone games and first announced in 2024, is now unlikely to happen.
As spotted by Microsoft API tracker RedPhx on X, and first reported by Windows Central, the website used to tease the upcoming Xbox mobile game store now redirects to a 404 page.
Microsoft has yet to make a statement on the future of its mobile storefront, but removing its marketing is a sign that the project is over. Microsoft's gaming business is currently being overhauled by new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who recently ended the brand’s controversial "This is an Xbox" marketing push, which emphasized that games can be played on third-party devices as well as on consoles. The Xbox mobile store was likely loosely tied to that marketing push.
Plans for a mobile store have been a thorn in Microsoft’s side ever since now-former Xbox President Sarah Bond first announced it for a July 2024 launch, saying it'd be used to host games like Call of Duty: Mobile, Candy Crush, and Minecraft across Android and iOS. Beta tests included discounts on in-app currency for Candy Crush to encourage users to switch to its store.
Microsoft then delayed the store's launch until the end of 2024, but it never arrived, and Xbox stopped providing official updates on its progress. Microsoft later placed part of the blame on Apple, citing its payment-related lawsuit against Epic Games and the possibility that Microsoft would be on the hook to give Apple a cut of its iOS game sales.
We won’t know for sure about future plans for a mobile store until we hear from Microsoft, but the unceremonious takedown of its website heavily suggests it won't be happening.
In the last 24 hours, Microsoft also reduced the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $29.99 a month to $22.99. The price is still higher than before an October 2025 price hike, and you no longer get access to brand-new Call of Duty titles.