Image: © MichaelVi/Stock.adobe.com
As a result of the deal, Microsoft has the full support of Nvidia in its attempt to acquire Activision as regulators take stock.
As Microsoft continues to build its case for acquiring Activision by gathering industry support, it has found its latest ally in Nvidia after striking a major gaming deal with the company.
A 10-year partnership signed yesterday (21 February) will bring Xbox PC games such as Minecraft and, potentially, Call of Duty to the popular Nvidia GeForce Now cloud gaming service.
Launched nearly a decade ago, Nvidia GeForce Now is a subscription service that provides users with unlimited access to a library of games hosted on Nvidia servers and delivered through streaming video. It has more than 25m members across 100 countries.
Through this agreement, PC and mobile gamers will be able to stream Xbox PC titles from Nvidia GeForce Now to a wide range of devices including PCs, macOS, Chromebooks and smartphones. If Activision is successfully acquired, games such as Call of Duty will also be made available.
Microsoft hopes this deal will give gamers in the industry increased choice to alleviate regulators’ anti-competition concerns around the Activision acquisition. Following the deal, it has Nvidia’s support for regulatory approval of the acquisition.
“Xbox remains committed to giving people more choice and finding ways to expand how people play,” said Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer.
“This partnership will help grow Nvidia’s catalogue of titles while giving developers more ways to offer streaming games. We are excited to offer gamers more ways to play the games they love.”
Jeff Fisher, senior vice-president of GeForce at Nvidia, said that combining the catalogue of Xbox first party games with GeForce Now will “propel cloud gaming into a mainstream offering that appeals to gamers at all levels of interest and experience”.
This is Microsoft’s second major gaming deal this week. Vice chair and president Brad Smith confirmed yesterday that Microsoft has signed another 10-year deal to bring Xbox games to Nintendo players, including Call of Duty if and when its acquires Activision.
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