Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is complete, and Ubisoft has revealed what the success means for its gaming offering.
The success of the Activision Blizzard deal has worked in Ubisoft’s favor as the company has acquired the cloud streaming rights to the Call of Duty maker’s massive game catalog.
Ubisoft recently shared new details about their deal with Microsoft granting them cloud streaming rights to Activision Blizzard games. The deal itself was first announced over the summer, but only went into effect when Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard on October 13.
Even before that landmark content deal was reached, Ubisoft emphasized that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard was good news for the gaming industry as a whole. The success of the deal certainly benefits Ubisoft as the company has secured extensive cloud streaming rights to the Call of Duty maker’s massive game catalog as part of its efforts to “ bribe” by Microsoft to win regulatory approval for the $68.7 billion transaction.
Ubisoft’s VP of strategic partnerships and business development Chris Early has now confirmed that the deal will usher in Activision Blizzard games on the Ubisoft+ subscription service in addition to solidifying the company’s future streaming game offerings. And while the deal only covers developer Activision Blizzard’s existing games and any they release over the next 15 years, Chris Early clarified that the streaming game rights are permanent. . In other words, Ubisoft will always have the right to open cloud gaming services for any Activision Blizzard game released until the end of 2038.
Ubisoft will have perpetual cloud gaming rights for any Activision Blizzard game released until the end of 2038.
Microsoft has completely divested the cloud game streaming service rights of its latest purchase, which was a cornerstone of its strategy to win CMA approval for its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In some markets, Ubisoft acquired those rights exclusively, while it only acquired a non-exclusive distribution license in other markets. The acquisition of a non-exclusive distribution license happened in the European Union, as the concessions Microsoft made to Brussels included a commitment that anyone who bought an Activision Blizzard game in the future would be able to play it online Stream that game through the platform of their choice, not just Xbox Cloud Gaming.
The catalog of Ubisoft+ games is already available to play online via Amazon’s Luna service, although Ubisoft does not offer its own cloud gaming solution. And while the deal improves its chances of developing a successful game streaming platform, Early said the company is still waiting to see how the market will develop before deciding on those commitments. In the meantime, Ubisoft will look to license Activision Blizzard’s games to other cloud streaming providers, in addition to making them available to Ubisoft+ members. There’s still no specific timeline on when the titles will be added to the subscription service, as the company has been waiting for the acquisition to be official before starting to bring them to Ubisoft+.
Going forward, Early expects subscription services to continue to grow in popularity, but not at the expense of other distribution methods. Elaborating on that point, the executive said that game publishing methods such as releasing physical game discs will never “completely disappear.” Ubisoft’s Activision Blizzard game streaming deal on the cloud platform is therefore merely a continuation of the company’s efforts to grow its business by making gaming more affordable. more accessible, Early concluded.
