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iOS and Android to get Xbox and Microsoft PC games?

Word on the street is that iPhones and Android devices may soon get a host of Xbox games -- starting with Age of Empires.

Dara Kerr Former senior reporter
Dara Kerr was a senior reporter for CNET covering the on-demand economy and tech culture. She grew up in Colorado, went to school in New York City and can never remember how to pronounce gif.
Dara Kerr
Xbox games on Microsoft's Windows Phone; some of these could be coming to iOS and Android. Screenshot by Dara Kerr/CNET

Microsoft's Xbox and PC games may be coming to Apple's iPhone and Android devices sometime this year, according to a report by Nikkei via Reuters.

The tech giant is allegedly working on a licensing deal with Japanese mobile game maker KLab to bring its games to other smartphone platforms, according to Reuters. One of the first games said to be released is Age of Empires, which reportedly will be free and available on iOS and Android smartphones by the end of this year.

While Microsoft's Windows Phone has access to dozens of Xbox and PC games, both iOS and Android only have access to a handful of such games. If there is indeed a deal in the works, many more games could be brought to iPhones and Android devices.

When contacted by CNET, a Microsoft spokesperson said that the only game to be launched on iOS and Android will be Age of Empires.

"Today, KLab Inc. announced a licensing agreement with Microsoft Corp. to develop a mobile version of Microsoft Studio's 'Age of Empires' franchise, which will be initially developed in English for iOS and Android and launched globally, with plans to release the game in other languages and on Windows Phone in the future," the spokesperson said. "Some reports included incorrect information about additional Xbox Live-based games on iOS and Android but there are no further announcements beyond 'Age of Empires' at this time."

Updated at 6:15 p.m. PT with comment from a Microsoft spokesperson.