Microsoft wants to open an app store to rival Apple and Google

MICROSOFT has announced plans to open its own app store to rival Google Play and Apple’s App Store.

While Microsoft has a large place in the gaming industry thanks to Xbox, it has so far failed to enter the mobile market.

It has hopes to enter the lucrative mobile market, an area where Netflix is expanding its library of entertainment.

Last year Microsoft had a deal accepted to purchase publisher Activision Blizzard for a massive $69billion (£58billion).

Part of the company includes its mobile division King which includes some of the world’s most popular mobile games.

King is the developer of the Candy Crush Saga, and a number of free-to-play games on Facebook.

Many people believe that Microsoft wants to purchase Activision Blizzard in order to get the rights to Call of Duty.

Call of Duty is one of the best-selling series of all year, which makes the top sellers list every year.

However, Microsoft has often denied this and has offered numerous other companies the rights to the series.

This includes Nintendo, which has been promised the same version of Call of Duty that releases on Xbox for the next ten years.

In an interview with FT, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer said: “We want to be in a position to offer Xbox and content from both us and our third-party partners across any screen where somebody would want to play.

“Today, we can't do that on mobile devices but we want to build towards a world that we think will be coming where those devices are opened up.”

Microsoft hopes that by creating its own app store, it will be in a better position to showcase its own mobile games.

Written by Georgina Young on behalf of .