Microsoft has embarked on a new seduction mission with the authorities in Europe to convince them to validate its plan to buy Activision Blizzard.
We are in the final weeks before the deadline for final advice from the UK and EU regarding Microsoft’s proposed takeover of Activision Blizzard. Either way, authorities fear the leverage Microsoft could gain by getting their hands on the license. call of dutyespecially in the nascent cloud gaming market.
In an effort to allay fears, the Redmond company has signed agreements with Nintendo and Nvidia to offer its licenses for 10 years among competitors. A masterstroke for Nvidia GeForce Now which can thanks to this agreement add PC games from Xbox Game Studio and Bethesda to its service then, if the takeover is validated, Activision Blizzard games.
In order not to release the pressure, Microsoft has embarked on a major seduction operation and is now reproducing the agreement signed with Nvidia.
Boosteroid and Ubitus join the dance: why they matter
This week, Microsoft announced the signing of an agreement with Boosteroid and Ubitus. These are services you probably don’t know about, yet they’re both pretty important to Microsoft’s strategy. In both cases, Microsoft repeats the same agreement: they will enjoy existing Xbox and Bethesda games on PC without delay, and eventually will be able to enjoy Activision games for 10 years.
Boosteroid is the “ largest international and independent cloud gaming provider in the world and enjoys some popularity in Eastern Europe. He is mainly based in kyiv in Ukraine, which allows Microsoft to recall without blushing too much that the firm has invested 430 million dollars in financial assistance for Ukraine against Russia. Xbox takes the opportunity to confirm the launch of the PC Game Pass in Ukraine for the spring of 2023. Let’s be clear, the political maneuver to seduce the European Union is particularly unsubtle here.
For its part, Ubitus is not known to the general public, but offers a turnkey service for publishers and manufacturers who wish to offer cloud gaming. That’s sort of what Google wants to do with Stadia’s technology. You might have played a game on Ubitus before if you tested the Nintendo Switch versions of games like control Or Assassin’s Creed.
Microsoft has already confirmed that the Nintendo Switch port of call of duty would not use the cloud, but this new partnership is puzzling.
Microsoft is not done
In an interview given to wall street journal, Microsoft President Brad Smith confirms that more deals will be unveiled in the coming weeks. The French Blacknut Cloud Gaming seems a ready-made candidate for one of the next confirmations.
By listing the announcements, Microsoft makes sure to keep in mind that with this takeover, the firm will offer Activision licenses on new platforms, which would be positive for players. Obviously, she does not insist on the limited nature of her promise: 10 years goes by quickly in video games.
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