Ubisoft, the other winner of Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard?

The acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft could well have done business for the Ubisoft studio.

It’s a soap opera that will definitely have accompanied our awakenings and enlivened our evenings over the last two years. Yes, after more exactly 20 months full of twists and turns, we can finally proclaim that it’s it, the Activision Blizzard King group has officially joined the ranks of Microsoft. A historic acquisition, the total amount of which amounts to 69 billion dollars (the equivalent of 63.4 billion euros).

But in this story, Microsoft may not be the only winner. A certain Ubisoft, which is currently experiencing certain delays and cancellations of games, will also be entitled to its share of the pie.

Activision Blizzard takeover: when Ubisoft joins the party

In the space of just under two years, countless obstacles have obstructed Microsoft’s path to preventing the finalization of the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Last April, the British competition authority (CMA) delivered its verdict and decided to block the operation. The entity believed that such an acquisition could result in a potential monopoly position for Microsoft in the cloud gaming segment in the United Kingdom. If the Redmond company had initially committed to offering Xbox titles on GeForce Now, this was unfortunately not enough to overturn the CMA’s decision.

To overcome this major obstacle, Microsoft has simply decided to cede the rights to cloud gaming for Activision Blizzard productions to Ubisoft. An unexpected opportunity for the French studio established internationally, since the signing of this agreement gives it the possibility of expanding its Ubisoft+ subscription service with licenses such as Call of Duty, Overwatch or Crash Bandicoot.

Cloud gaming: how Ubisoft plans to exploit Activision Blizzard licenses

For Ubisoft, this last minute transaction, made in agreement with Microsoft, could prove more juicy than it seems at first glance. Indeed, the acquisition of rights to Activision Blizzard games will allow the publisher to publish on its own subscription service, for the next 15 years, all of the titles distributed on PC and consoles. Ubisoft even indicates that it has obtained the broadcast rights in perpetuity. In other words, this means that the French studio will retain these rights even after the terms of this agreement end.

To conclude, here is what Chris Early, in charge of strategic partnerships and business development at Ubisoft, said: “ Acquiring these rights allows Ubisoft to bring Activision Blizzard games like Call of Duty to Ubisoft+, as well as license streaming access to these games to cloud gaming companies, service providers and manufacturers of consoles – which means we help expand access for more gamers on streaming services “.

One thing is certain, Ubisoft seems to firmly believe in the expansion of cloud gaming in the years to come. On this subject, Yves Guillemot, founder and director of Ubisoft, also specified that the company would now work on drawing the outlines of its strategy with regard to the development of its subscription offer within its ecosystem.

Sources: ABC Bourse, The world