Spectacular turn of events ! Microsoft makes an unexpected announcement that involves Xbox, Activision Blizzard, and a huge third-party publisher. A decision that could change everything for the Redmond firm.
Just before the Gamescom 2023 conference, which should be rich in trailers and information on the next games to come, Microsoft is making a completely surprising announcement. Yves Guillemot’s company adds a new string to its bow. A major change which should also greatly help one of the three main video game manufacturers.
A huge announcement for Microsoft
This is news that we could hardly expect. Through a press release, Ubisoft reveals that it has sealed a contract with Microsoft. An agreement that allows the French publisher to hold the streaming rights to all existing Activision Blizzard games, as well as future titles for the next fifteen years, for its Ubisoft+ Multi Access service. A subscription at €17.99 per month which gives access to more than 100 software from the publisher, with monthly news and all recent releases.
“With a single subscription to Ubisoft+ Multi Access, gamers will soon be able to play their favorite Ubi and Activision Blizzard games across multiple platforms, including PC, Xbox, Amazon Luna, and PlayStation via Ubisoft+ Classics. This deal will allow gamers access to a massive library of top titles as well as the latest releases, all via cloud streaming.”.
Concretely, this means that subscribers will eventually be able to play Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 and the entire Activision Blizzard catalog via the platform. “We are committed to delivering extraordinary experiences for our players wherever they choose to play. Over the past 15 years, we have built and grown our ecosystem of online services and distribution to make it one of the most comprehensive in the industry. Today’s deal will give players even more opportunities to play some of the biggest licenses in the industry.” adds Chris Early, senior vice president, strategic partnerships and business development at Ubisoft. A partnership that also serves, and perhaps even more, the interests of Microsoft.
The key to the acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Xbox?
Where did this sudden partnership come from that gives all the streaming rights for Acti games to Ubisoft? From Microsoft! As part of the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the Redmond firm has yet to show its credentials in the United Kingdom. The CMA, the British regulatory authority, is still opposed to this acquisition. But by letting go of the cloud gaming part, Microsoft hopes to be able to change its mind. And that’s the whole point of the collaboration with Ubi.
With this announcement, the American giant wants to raise the concerns of the CMA which is afraid of a monopoly on the cloud gaming market. Will this be enough? The regulator is sticking to its guns but will re-examine the file to provide an answer on October 18.
“The CMA confirmed today that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision, as originally proposed, cannot proceed. Microsoft has notified of a new deal that is significantly different from the previous offering. As part of this new agreement, the rights to broadcast Activision games outside the European Union will be sold to a rival, Ubisoft, which will be able to license Activision content to any cloud gaming provider. We will now review this deal in a new Phase 1 investigation. This is not a green light. We will carefully and objectively assess the details of this new agreement and its impact on competition, including taking into account comments from third parties.” explains Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA (via Gov.uk).