One store, the South Korean app market operator, said it joined hands with Microsoft to create a global app market by next year. This is its latest move to compete with bigger rivals operated by global technology giants, according to local news agency Yonhap.
The app market operates on the Android mobile operating system as an alternative to Google's dominant Play store in South Korea. The company said it plans to incorporate Microsoft's cloud technology to create a global platform by 2022. In an online press conference, One store's head of strategic partnership Jin Heon-kyu said the company is considering the launch in the Asian market.
The move comes after Microsoft invested KRW 11.3 billion (USD 9.5 million) in One store in June. The homegrown app market also is backed by SK Telecom, which holds a 47 percent stake in the company, as well as the operators KT and LG Uplus with minority stakes.
One store also announced it entered into a strategic partnership with Blizzard Entertainment. Earlier in August, the US video game giant released its popular mobile card game Hearthstone on One store, with Diablo Immortal, a mobile version of its popular Diablo franchise, also set to launch on the app store.
