Microsoft has been in the news lately, since the company is trying to buy Activision Blizzard – a move that’s not being received well by other companies such as Sony. Sony previously stated that Call of Duty will be ruined for PlayStation users if the deal goes through. In spite of that, Microsoft is continuing to put in a lot of effort to persuade antitrust regulators that its acquisition of Activision Blizzard won’t cause harm to competition in the gaming industry. In an effort to demonstrate to EU, UK, and US regulators that it won’t use the deal to squeeze out competitors and stifle competition, Microsoft has entered into a 10-year agreement with Boosteroid, a cloud gaming provider, to stream Activision’s PC titles if the deal goes through.
Boosteroid is currently the biggest independent cloud-gaming service in the world. It supports multi-device streaming access and requires the purchase of paid games on other platforms. Its library includes popular games such as Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Activision’s Call of Duty: Warzone. It can stream games in web browsers and offers native apps for Windows, macOS, Android, Android TV, and Linux.
This latest move is part of Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to relieve regulatory concerns and follows the company’s 10-year agreements with Nintendo and Nvidia to bring the Call of Duty franchise to platforms such as the Switch and GeForce Now. Microsoft has also offered Sony a similar agreement for PlayStation licensing, but this offer has not yet been accepted. Microsoft has committed to supporting Steam availability at the same time as Xbox, and as mentioned previously, Sony expressed its concerns about the deal earlier this month.
According to Microsoft President Brad Smith, the reason Microsoft wants to buy Activision Blizzard is to round out their titles to have a fuller, more diverse library. They are looking to include more mobile titles where they don’t have a strong presence, and build a stronger gaming business.
The European Commission has not yet publicly stated whether it is satisfied with Microsoft’s commitments or not, but it has until April 25th to decide. The UK regulators’ decision is expected the following day. Deals like the Boosteroid one are a key part of Microsoft’s fight to avoid missing out on Activision’s publishing unit, which it has indicated it has no interest in doing.
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(Via)
