Android smartphone and iPhone users might soon enjoy game titles from Microsoft as the software giant plans to bring Xbox and PC games to the mobile platform.
Microsoft has not confirmed the news yet, but there are reports that the company partnered with a Japanese game developer to achieve its plans.
"The U.S. software giant has tied up with KLab Inc., a midsize developer of smartphone games. Under a licensing deal, KLab will convert console and personal computer games from Microsoft so that they run on the iPhone and smartphones using Google Inc.'s Android operating system," stated a report on Nasdaq.
The first title to cross platform is the "Age of Empires" that could be available by the end of the fiscal year and it will be free-to-play game. This game franchise has sold around 22 million titles for seven games in the series and other spin-off titles.
While there is a big buzz about the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, the gaming industry has been struggling and is being threatened by the boom of tablets and smartphones and low cost gaming services.
According to experts, the gaming market in the smartphone sector will double this year and by 2017, is expected to become $16 billion-odd market segment. The sales of consoles, on the other hand, has experienced a slump with Nintendo and Sony sales figures falling by as much as 20 percent in 2012.
A report on Daily Mail sees the move of Microsoft as a strategy to link its gaming console business with its mobile opportunities.
Sending its gaming titles to the mobile platform will help Microsoft's mobile business since its own Windows Phone is not doing well in the global market, accounting for only three percent of mobile phone ownership. By tapping the 90 percent market share controlled by Android smartphones and the iPhone, Microsoft can explore more mobile gaming opportunities.
