Nvidia was able to withdraw from the game in the negotiations between Microsoft and the authorities regarding the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The GeForce Now service will see its catalog greatly strengthened.
In early 2020, Nvidia officially launched its GeForce Now cloud gaming service after years of beta testing. At this point, publishers who had left their games on the service during the test remove their marbles. New GeForce Now subscribers are watching Activision Blizzard and Bethesda games disappear one after the other. A blow to the service.
Since then, Bethesda has been acquired by Microsoft and Activision Blizzard is the subject of an acquisition project by the same group. On Tuesday, February 21, 2023, Microsoft and Nvidia announced the signing of a landmark agreement around GeFore Now.
Xbox Games Now Call If Acquisition Goes Through
Microsoft and Nvidia announce that they have signed a 10-year agreement that guarantees access to ” Xbox Games for PC on Nvidia GeForce Now “, after ” it will also allow Activision Blizzard PC titles such as Call of Duty to stream on GeForce NOW after Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision is finalized. Where Xbox Cloud Gaming is based on an Xbox console architecture, Nvidia’s cloud gaming GeForce Now takes a PC approach. Therefore, Microsoft games must be available on PC to accommodate GeForce Now. This is the case with a large number of Microsoft games today.
Unlike the agreement signed with Nintendo that only contemplates the arrival of the license Obligations On the platforms of the Japanese manufacturer, if the bid goes to the end, the agreement with Nvidia is much broader. Here, the deal goes into effect immediately for Xbox games available on PC. In other words, even if the acquisition fails, Nvidia will have won the negotiations to bring back games like Force Horizon, aura or the future Fable. Microsoft and Nvidia say that work to integrate Xbox games into GeForce Now will begin now. Also, if the acquisition goes through, the deal includes Activision Blizzard games and not just Call of Duty. This could indicate the arrival of world of warcraft in a cloud gaming service.
Please note that the press release does not specify if Bethesda games are affected by this agreement. Microsoft is often careful to distinguish Xbox Game Studios games from Bethesda games. So I’m not sure we can play star field either eternal doom on GeForce now.
games you already have
Remember that the GeForce Now service is based on the BYOG principle: bring your own game. Unlike Xbox Cloud Gaming, which currently relies on a catalog subscription offer with Xbox Game Pass, Nvidia allows you to play the games you already own on different stores.
In the press release, Microsoft and Nvidia specify that the agreement includes the arrival of games purchased from the Microsoft Store in GeForce Now, but also Microsoft games purchased from the Epic Games Store or Steam.
Winner Winner for Microsoft
The signing of this agreement by Microsoft at a time when the proposed takeover bid is going to be negotiated in the United Kingdom and in the European Union is good news for the giant. First, it now guarantees Nvidia’s support for the acquisition project.
In the case of the United Kingdom, the competition authority had particularly singled out cloud gaming as a risky market for this project. Here, Microsoft grants access to its own and Activision’s licenses in its competitor’s service. Therefore, the authority could be receptive to it.
Also, since GeForce Now is dependent on purchased games, this deal should also boost Microsoft’s revenue. This will make GeForce Now subscribers pay for Microsoft games on Steam, the Microsoft Store, or Epic Games. This is the same reason that today pushes Microsoft to offer most of its games on Steam, in addition to its own store and subscription. Xbox games are often the best sellers on Steam, a sign of a profitable strategy for the giant.
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