Microsoft has today announced a 10-year agreement that will keep Call of Duty on the Boosteriod platform once the company’s $69bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard clears. This would be the latest such agreement following similar deals with Nintendo and Nvidia’s GeForce Now.
In the United States, the FTC has taken Microsoft to court over the deal, while the CMA in the UK and EC in Europe are also looking at the merger with scrutiny. Much of the concern comes from the possibility of Microsoft using the Activision franchise to stifle competition by making them exclusive to Xbox Game Pass.
Sony has been vocal about this concern. The company admits Call of Duty is irreplaceable on PlayStation. It is worth noting that Activision has other major franchises, such as Candy Crush, Diablo, and Warcraft.
Still, Call of Duty is the jewel in the crown and Microsoft has been vocal about its intentions to keep the franchise available across platforms. Deals with Nintendo, Nvidia, and now Boosteroid seems to match that commitment.
Agreement
Boosteroid is the largest independent cloud gaming providers in the world and has 4 million users.
“We believe in the power of games to bring people together. That’s why Xbox is committed to give everyone more ways to play their favorite games, across devices,” says Phil Spencer, CEO of Gaming, Microsoft. “Bringing Xbox PC games to Boosteroid members, including Activision Blizzard titles such as ‘Call of Duty’ once the deal closes, is yet another step in realizing that vision.”
Microsoft hopes such agreements will show regulators it plans to promote competition. While a similar agreement is on the table for Sony, the PlayStation company remains unimpressed. In fact, Sony has recently claimed Microsoft could purposely reduce the quality of Call of Duty on other platforms.
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