Microsoft announced in a blog post that was published late yesterday it has substantially restructured the Activision Blizzard merger proposal by selling right to cloud-based gaming for Activision Blizzard games to rival Ubisoft. The deadline for deciding on the effort to ease the worries from those who are a part of the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the 18th of October.
The reason for selling the cloud gaming rights of Activision Blizzard is clear
It’s designed to overcome the obstacles that are being imposed by The UK Competition and Markets Authority who attempts to stop the merger due to Microsoft’s possible dominance in cloud gaming. If the merger happens, Microsoft will transfer cloud streaming rights for all existing and future Activision Blizzard PC as well as console titles that will be released within for the next fifteen years, for Ubisoft Entertainment SA, one of the top global game publishing companies. The rights will last for a lifetime.
The Ubisoft+ lineup is expanding!
We're excited to announce a new agreement that will bring Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft+ via streaming upon the completion of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard!
We’ll also be licensing the games to a range of cloud streaming… pic.twitter.com/sZTnEFJedC
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) August 22, 2023
This means Microsoft will not be able to create Activision Blizzard games exclusive to Xbox Cloud Gaming or have any control over the way they are played through competing platforms. This will also permit Ubisoft to provide Activision Blizzard’s cloud-based gaming on Apple as well as other non-Windows systems.
In details of the transaction “Ubisoft will reimburse Microsoft through a one-time payment for cloud streaming rights to Activision Blizzard’s games and through a market-based wholesale pricing mechanism, including an option that supports usage-based pricing.” The expressions make an impact.
Ubisoft announced in its blog in its blog post that Activision Blizzard games will be sold on a variety of platforms if the deal is completed. With just one membership for UbisoftPlus Multi Access, gamers will soon be in a position to play their favourite Ubisoft or Activision Blizzard titles on multiple platforms, including PC, Xbox consoles and Amazon Luna, and PlayStation through UbisoftPlus Classics.
In a newspaper article that was that was published in the present, it reported in the article that UK regulator is now reviewing the revised agreement and take a decision before October 18. Sarah Cardell, UK CMA CEO, stated: “This is not a green signal. “We will carefully and objectively evaluate the details of the restructured agreement and its impact on competition, including comments from third parties.”
