Microsoft announced a new set of principles for its app store, including open access to developers who meet privacy and security standards.
The development comes at a time when Microsoft started the process of seeking approval for its $68.7 billion deal to buy Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard.
Last year, Microsoft dropped the percentage it keeps from sales of video games through its Windows app store to 12 percent from 30 percent, making it more competitive with rival Epic Games.
Microsoft will file for approval of the deal to buy Activision Blizzard in 17 jurisdictions, the company’s president, Brad Smith, told reporters on Wednesday.
Smith said he had previewed the app store policies with U.S. lawmakers and received a positive reaction.
Rules for the app store were modeled on antitrust legislation under consideration by the United States and other countries, Microsoft said in a blog post.
Microsoft said it developed these principles in part to address its growing role and responsibility as it started the process of seeking regulatory approval in capitals around the world for the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Other commitments made by Microsoft in the blog post were that its own apps in its store would be held to the same standard as apps from competitors, and that it would not use non-public information from its app store to compete with rivals.
It also committed to refraining from unreasonable preferencing or ranking of Microsoft apps over others.
Congress is now considering bills that would ban Big Tech platforms like Amazon.com and others from giving preference to their own products. Another measure would bar big app stores, like Apple’s, from requiring app providers to use the platform’s payment system and prohibit them from punishing apps that offer different prices through another app store or payment system.
Smith was in Washington on Wednesday along with Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella and Sarah Bond, vice president of the game ecosystem for Xbox.
The Activision deal will enable Microsoft to take on leaders Tencent and Sony. Sony recently inked a $3.6 billion deal to buy Bungie, creator of the Halo videogame.
