Microsoft Signs Its Fifth 10-Year Deal to Bring Xbox and Activision-Blizzard PC Games to Internet Service Provider EE
Microsoft has signed yet another 10-year deal in cloud gaming to bring its Activision-Blizzard PC titles and Xbox to more customers.
After signing similar deals with cloud gaming service providers Ubitus, Boosteroid, NVIDIA, and of course, a 10-year contract with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty games to Nintendo platforms, the Redmond-based tech giant has now signed a 10-year deal with internet service producer EE. Microsoft’s head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, announced the deal between the two parties on Twitter some hours ago.
“Microsoft and EE are expanding our partnership with a 10-year commitment in cloud gaming to bring PC games built by Activision Blizzard, following the acquisition, and Xbox to EE customers”, the Xbox boss writes on Twitter. Spencer added, “We are committed to bring more games to more people, however they choose to play.”
Spencer’s tweet explicitly mentions PC games from Activision-Blizzard as well as Xbox, thereby, without a doubt, trying to address concerns from regulators. Late last month, UK regulator CMA said that, while it believes that the planned merger between Microsoft and Activision-Blizzard won’t hurt the console market, its provisional considerations with regard to the cloud gaming market haven’t changed yet.
“Having considered the additional evidence provided, we have now provisionally concluded that the merger will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in console gaming services because the cost to Microsoft of withholding Call of Duty from PlayStation would outweigh any gains from taking such action”, the CMA’s revised provisional findings read.
“Our provisional view that this deal raises concerns in the cloud gaming market is not affected by today’s announcement. Our investigation remains on course for completion by the end of April.”
As covered last week, Sony wasn’t too happy with the U-turn that the CMA made, and as expected, Microsoft more than welcomed the CMA’s revised provisional findings.
