Microsoft signs Call of Duty agreement with Boosteroid
Microsoft has signed a deal with Boosteroid agreeing to bring its PC games including Activision Blizzard titles to the provider’s cloud gaming platform. This is the same agreement it has struck with NVIDIA for its GeForce NOW service, while a slightly different contract has been agreed on with Nintendo.
Boosteroid is an independent cloud gaming provider based in Ukraine, which recently surpassed the milestone of having four million users globally. The company’s services are available in the US, UK, Ukraine, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Slovakia, Romania, and Serbia. “This means popular franchises such as ‘Call of Duty’ will surpass more than 150 million additional players, and make games built by Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and Activision Blizzard playable on multiple cloud gaming services and subscriptions,” a statement given out by Microsoft reads.
This deal is another move by Microsoft to win over regulators regarding its proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The contracts signed with Nintendo, NVIDIA, and Boosteroid are designed to reassure authorities that Microsoft would not make Activision Blizzard’s roster of video games exclusive to Xbox, which would harm competition – that is the biggest argument fielded by Sony, which is the chief opponent to the takeover.
These recent maneuvers by Microsoft have reportedly already shown effect on the EU’s position on the deal, though Sony remains steadfast in its opposition. Indeed, the company recently made the claim that Microsoft could sabotage Call of Duty on PlayStation. With the EU seemingly being swayed by Microsoft’s recent agreements, the UK’s Competition and Marketing Authority (CMA), which suggested Activision Blizzard could be broken up to facilitate a takeover, is likely going to be the biggest hurdle for Microsoft to overcome in Europe.
“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,” said Phil Spencer, CEO of Gaming at Microsoft about the deal with Boosteroid. “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 Vice Chair and President, Brad Smith, echoed his statement and emphasized the tech giant's continued assistance to Ukraine in its struggle to defend itself from the illegal and barbaric Russian invasion.
Boosteroid
“Boosteroid shares Microsoft’s vision of bringing games to as many people, places and platforms as possible. It has long been our goal to provide gamers with an opportunity to enjoy their favorite titles on any device close at hand,” states Ivan Shvaichenko, Boosteroid’s CEO. “Today’s announcement is yet another step in this direction. Also, with our development team based in Ukraine, we appreciate Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to Ukraine, and we will be working together on an initiative supporting our local game development community to invest further in the economic recovery of the country.”
“Microsoft partnering with Boosteroid is welcome news and further evidence of the company’s ongoing support for Ukraine,” comments Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation. “Boosteroid’s Ukrainian dev team has built a world-class streaming platform under the most challenging circumstances and demonstrates the ingenuity and creativity of our citizens and local game developers.”
Fedorov recently reached out to Microsoft, Sony, and Valve about another matter, namely to ask for a ban of Atomic Heart from their store platform, fearing that earnings from the game would feed back into the Russian war machine.
