'Mercury' is the code name of a large Xbox Store update, coming soon

Recently an Xbox Insider Program update made an app called "Mercury" available to a few testers, with a splash screen that just reads as "Coming Soon. Please upgrade to access the latest and greatest."

I received a few messages about it, and thought I'd try and find out some more about what it is and what it does, since some had speculated that it might be something related to Project xCloud.

After doing some digging, it seems that this app is the codename of an upcoming Xbox Store redesign, rebuilt from the ground up on new architecture, designed for 4K TVs. This new store app is also destined for use on next-gen systems like the Xbox Series X, and long-rumored Xbox Lockhart, as well as current-gen Xbox One systems.

From what we've seen so far, the design of the "Mercury" store app is almost identical to what is available on Xbox One consoles today, with many of the changes appearing to be under the hood. It's possible that more features and design changes will occur as the app moves closer to public testing, especially given the "modernized" design language we see in apps like the Xbox (Beta) app and Xbox Game Bar on PC.

If you try to install Mercury from the Microsoft Store to your console right now, the download simply fails. But it probably won't be too long until testers in the Alpha and Alpha Skip Ahead rings are able to take a closer look at it.

Once we learn more info, we'll be sure to offer some updates here in the near future.