Microsoft has embarked on a new seduction mission with the authorities in Europe to convince them to validate their plan to buy Activision Blizzard.
We are in the final weeks before the deadline for final UK and EU advice regarding Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Either way, authorities fear the leverage Microsoft could gain by obtaining the license. Obligationsespecially in the nascent cloud gaming market.
In an effort to allay fears, the Redmond company has signed agreements with Nintendo and Nvidia to offer their 10-year licenses among competitors. A coup for Nvidia GeForce Now which, thanks to this deal, can add PC games from Xbox Game Studio and Bethesda to its service and then, if the acquisition is validated, games from Activision Blizzard.
In order not to release the pressure, Microsoft has embarked on a major seduction operation and is now reproducing the agreement signed with Nvidia at will.
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, but both are very 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 they will be able to enjoy Activision games for 10 years.
Boosteroid is the “ the largest international and independent cloud gaming provider in the world and enjoys some popularity in Eastern Europe. It is mainly based in kyiv in the Ukraine, which allows Microsoft to recall without too much blush that the firm has invested $430 million in financial assistance for Ukraine against Russia. Xbox is taking the opportunity to confirm the launch of PC Game Pass in Ukraine for spring 2023. Let’s be clear, the political maneuver to seduce the European Union is particularly unsubtle here.
For its part, Ubitus is not known by the general public, but it offers a turnkey service for publishers and manufacturers who wish to offer games in the cloud. That’s more or less what Google wants to do with the Stadia technology. You may have played a game on Ubitus before if you tried the Nintendo Switch versions of games like Control either assassin’s Creed.
Microsoft has already confirmed that the Nintendo Switch port of Obligations I wouldn’t use the cloud, but this new partnership is puzzling.
Microsoft is not done
In an interview granted to Wall Street Journal, Microsoft President Brad Smith confirms that more deals will be unveiled in the coming weeks. French Blacknut Cloud Gaming looks like a prime candidate for one of the upcoming confirmations.
When listing the announcements, Microsoft is making sure to keep in mind that with this acquisition, the firm will be offering Activision licenses on new platforms, which would be a positive for gamers. Obviously, he does not insist on the limited nature of his promise: 10 years go by quickly in video games.
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