Microsoft is back on the offensive, signing yet another 10-year deal for cloud gaming
Tenth time’s the charm
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Microsofthas seemingly picked itself up pretty quickly after the momentous CMA decision that blocked its acquisition of ActivisionBlizzardmoments before the deal was to be certified.
Following the decision of theUK government to block Microsoft’s attempted acquisition, the tech giant announced yet another 10-year deal with the cloud gaming platform Nware. Microsoft president Brad Smith made the agreement public via a shorttweet. “Our other recent commitments will make more popular games available on more cloud gaming services”, Smith said in his tweet.
These games include PC games built by Xbox on its platform and “Activision Blizzard titles after the acquisition closes”; at least someone’s confident.
That’s an ominous cloud
Microsoft and European cloud gaming platform Nware have signed a 10-year agreement. Our statement here: pic.twitter.com/GWoSBg63P6April 28, 2023
The fact that Microsoft is focusing yet again on its prospects of cloud gaming only days after the CMA blocked its attempt at acquiring Activision Blizzard (along with all its IPs) demonstrates just how significant the tech giant views cloud gaming to be.
Xbox Game Passis clearly up there as one of the best gaming platform subscription services, but how good are we willing to let it get? Apparently, this is something the CMA thought of while striking down the would-be acquisition.
“The CMA has prevented Microsoft’s proposed purchase of Activision over concerns the deal would alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market, leading to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come”, the UK government said in apress release.
With this in mind, it’s likely that having a subscription service with access to Xbox’s wide range of titles on top of Activision Blizzard juggernauts likeOverwatch 2,Call of Duty, andWorld of Warcraftwould blow any competition out of the water.
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Last ditch attempts
On the funnier side of things, hearing that Microsoft has committed to yet another 10-year deal does make me smile. Despite theNintendo Switchnot having the capability to run the likes ofCall of Duty, Microsoft signed a decade-long deal with Nintendo to bring the FPS series to its consoles.
This came after its attempts to push a 10-year deal which wouldoffer Sony the rights to Call of Duty on PS Plus. DespiteSonyrejecting the offer, this effort, combined with every other deal Micorosft has made of late, proves that it’s willing to do just about anything to push the Activision Blizzard deal over the line.
Elie is a Features Writer for TechRadar Gaming, here to write about anything new or slightly weird. Before writing for TRG, Elie studied for a Masters at Cardiff University JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs or editing the gaming section for their student publications.
Elie’s first step into gaming was through Pokémon but they’ve taken the natural next step in the horror genre. Any and every game that would keep you up at night is on their list to play - despite the fact that one of Elie’s biggest fears is being chased.
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