One of the main reasons Microsoft decided to purchase Activision Blizzard King is its presence in mobile gaming. The company believes that its long-term future depends on its success on mobile.
In a recent appearance on the Xbox podcast, Spencer discussed the value of mobile gaming to Xbox. According to the Xbox boss, Microsoft’s gaming division runs the risk of becoming irrelevant if it doesn’t find success in the mobile game market. The mobile gaming scene has always been bigger than the traditional PC and console markets given the ease of access to mobile devices.
“There’s just no way to really plot the future without being on the platform that most of the planet plays on,” Spencer stated on the podcast. “The games are different, the business models are different, the whole dynamic of how you distribute, how you find games is different.”
“I am really looking forward to learning on mobile,” he added. “The truth of the matter is, if you’re going to continue to be relevant in gaming at a global scale, you’re going to have to find a way to be relevant on the largest platform, which is mobile.”
Microsoft now owns a vast portfolio of mobile titles with its recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard King. The lineup of mobile games that are part of the deal includes Candy Crush, Diablo Immortal, and Call of Duty: Mobile.
With the acquisition of these notable titles, Microsoft plans to establish its foothold on the mobile gaming scene and potentially creating its own mobile game store.
“It’s critical for us to deliver on the full promise of over 3 billion people playing video games; the opportunity to reach more and more people,” Spencer shared. “People who only play on their phone, find Xbox to be something that’s interesting for them.”
Microsoft will not be focusing solely on the mobile gaming space. Spencer believes in the company’s ability to manage multiple different business sectors. Establishing itself as a major player in the mobile game market does not mean that Microsoft will be turning all its IPs into mobile games.
“It doesn’t mean I want to turn all of our franchises into mobile franchises,” he explains. “It doesn’t mean everything’s going to go free-to-play. I think the distribution and business model diversity that we have is a strength of the platform. People who want to buy games, I love that. People want to subscribe to their games, it’s great.”
Microsoft will have stiff competition in the mobile gaming space with big gaming studios such as Capcom entering the market. Apple recently announced that Resident Evil is coming to the iPhone 15 alongside Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Death Stranding, and The Division Resurgence. Apple plans for its latest flagship smartphone to be the next big gaming powerhouse.
Will Microsoft succeed in its mobile gaming expansion? It really depends on what games the company releases on mobile. So far, Microsoft has not reveal its planned future releases on mobile.
