Microsoft and Nvidia ink deal to bring Xbox PC games and Call of Duty to GeForce Now
The deal could help ease issues raised by regulatory bodies in the EU, US, and UK.
Today, Microsoft and Nvidia announced the companies have agreed to a 10-year partnership to bring Xbox PC games to GeForce Now.
The agreement will enable players to stream Xbox PC titles from GeForce Now to PCs, macOS, Chromebooks, smartphones, and other devices, enabling Activision Blizzard PC titles, such as Call of Duty, to be streamed on Nvidia's cloud streaming service after Microsoft acquires Activision closes.
The Nvidia deal will see the franchise come to over 100 million devices which Call of Duty today isn't present on, paving the way for other cloud services on PC.
"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 catalog of titles to include games like Call of Duty while giving developers more ways to offer streaming games.
Jeff Fisher, senior VP for GeForce at Nvidia, added: "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."
Because the partnership delivers more choice to players, it should help matters concerning regulatory approval of the Activision Blizzard acquisition.
Microsoft president Brad Smith said during a press conference in Brussels today the Nvidia deal addresses "the full range of issues raised by regulators as topics of not just interest, but in some cases concern."
Microsoft and Nvidia will begin work immediately to integrate Xbox PC games into GeForce Now so that members can stream PC games they buy in the Windows Store, including third-party partner titles where the publisher has granted streaming rights to Nvidia.
Xbox PC games currently available in third-party stores like Steam or the Epic Games Store will also be able to be streamed through GeForce Now by its over 25 million members in over 100 countries.
Microsoft also inked a deal with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty games to the company's console offerings for the next ten years. According to reports, it promised the same deal to Sony, but the firm has yet to respond to the offer as far as we know.