Microsoft has teamed up with Nintendo and NVIDIA to defend its Activision Blizzard acquisition against Sony.
Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard valued at $68.7 billion more than a year ago in January 2022. However, the acquisition has been met with resistance from Sony and regulators in certain regions.
Microsoft has been trying to persuade Sony to approve the acquisition by assuring them that they will keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. However, the two companies have yet to reach an agreement. Microsoft has turned to other partners, Nintendo and NVIDIA, to address regulatory concerns, but it remains to be seen if this will be enough to convince the regulators.
On February 21st, Microsoft issued a statement, “Microsoft and Nintendo have now negotiated and signed a binding 10-year legal agreement to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo players — the same days as Xbox, with full feature and content parity – so they can experience Call of Duty just as Xbox and PlayStation gamers enjoy Call of Duty. We are committed to providing long-term equal access to Call of Duty to other gaming platforms, bringing more choice to more players and more competition to the gaming market.”
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Shortly after, Microsoft also announced a partnership with NVIDIA. Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, tweeted, “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.”
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
“Through this partnership, more of the world’s most popular titles will now be available from the cloud with just a click, playable by millions more gamers,” said Jeff Fisher, senior vice president for GeForce, in a press release. It’s also mentioned in the press release that the partnership “resolves NVIDIA’s concerns with Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. NVIDIA is therefore offering its full support for regulatory approval of the acquisition.”
It’s not surprising to see NVIDIA and Microsoft teaming up, as they have been partners on numerous occasions before. However, seeing Microsoft and Nintendo together is refreshing. Because, there is this notion about “east vs west” in the gaming industry. Although, maybe it’s an old notion that has been broken for years. Before Microsoft and Nintendo, Riot Games and Tencent have created a synergy between the “east” and the “west”. And maybe, we could see another collaboration between the “east” and the “west” with Microsoft and Sony.
Feat Image: Courtesy of Microsoft
