Microsoft and Nvidia are partnering to bring Xbox and Activision games to GeForce Now
While regulatory agencies are expressing concerns about the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft is still trying to win over powerful allies. New agreement with Nvidia encourages the graphics card company GeForce to offer its full support for the approval of the said acquisition.
Microsoft and Nvidia have just announced a 10-year partnership that will bring Xbox PC games to the GeForce Now cloud gaming service, making it easier to access games on any device. More importantly, Microsoft is also promising to include Activision Blizzard games once the controversial acquisition is finalized.
According to Jeff Fisher, senior vice president of the GeForce division at Nvidia, the deal combines the rich catalog of games from the first Xbox brand with the “high-performance streaming capabilities” of GeForce Now. The combined strength of the two products should “bring cloud gaming into the mainstream,” Fisher said, even though gaming companies have long tried (and failed) to achieve the same goal.
We have signed a 10 year agreement with NVIDIA that will allow GeForce NOW players to stream Xbox PC games as well as Activision Blizzard PC titles, including COD, following the acquisition. We´re committed to bringing more games to more people – however they choose to play.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 21, 2023
As Xbox head Phil Spencer has pointed out, Microsoft wants to offer “more games to more people”, however they choose to play. The partnership also addresses Nvidia’s concerns about the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the press release reads, which is why Nvidia will offer its “full support” to regulatory approval of the acquisition.
Microsoft and Nvidia will now be working to integrate Xbox PC games with the GeForce Now streaming service, so that players who have purchased supported games from the Windows Store or other digital outlets will be able to stream them through the GeForce Now client. Microsoft emphasizes that a 10-year deal with Nintendo has also been finalized, promising that after the merger, the “latest version” of Call of Duty will go to Nintendo consoles.
Microsoft’s agreement with Nvidia is another attempt to assure regulators that the Redmond giant does not intend to play dirty after taking over the publisher of Call of Duty. Popular game franchises from Activision Blizzard should continue to be released on other platforms and game consoles – at least in the next decade. However, regulatory agencies may read this message differently, as there is no guarantee that after this period, Microsoft will not have a more dominant position in the gaming market and will not use it to crush the competition.
Source:
Own study/TechSpot
