Activision Blizzard had some big plans in the works—they were thinking of launching their very own app store to take on Google Play Store directly. This idea, called Project Boston, apparently started rolling back in 2019, as per a report by The Verge.
Their goal was to create a store, maybe on their own or teaming up with Epic Games or Supercell (you know, the folks behind Clash of Clans), that would be like a ‘Steam of Mobile.’ What’s interesting is that they planned to take a much smaller cut from sales compared to the standard Google Play Store fees—instead of 30 percent, they were looking at 10 to 12 percent.
At the start, this store was supposed to feature less hyped games from King, which is under the Activision Blizzard umbrella. Think Candy Crush Saga and similar titles. Initially, it was meant to launch only in the US and users would’ve had to sideload it onto their devices. They were also thinking of getting it onto iOS, but that’s a bit tricky because sideloading isn’t as straightforward on Apple devices without jailbreaking.
However, things took a different turn. Apparently, after talks with Google that touched on Project Boston, Activision Blizzard ended up striking a deal that bagged them some serious cash—more than $100 million, according to The Verge.
This move comes amidst ongoing battles between game companies and app stores over the high commissions they charge. Remember the Epic Games versus Apple saga? Apple’s been winning that one so far.
For Activision Blizzard, it’s a bit of a sticky situation. They’re feeling the pinch of high app store fees, but let’s not forget their new boss, Microsoft, also rakes in substantial profits from the Xbox Store thanks to its platform dominance.
