Something small: Microsoft continues to make concessions in an effort to persuade regulators to greenlight Activision Blizzard’s $69 billion purchase. The Redmond tech giant has signed yet another 10-year agreement – this time, with Boosteroid – to secure widespread distribution for the Call of Duty franchise should the Activision Blizzard deal close.
bosteroid Founded in 2017 and based in Ukraine. The number of users of the cloud game platform has recently exceeded four million users globally, making it the world’s largest independent cloud game provider. Boosteroid operates through data centers around the world including six located in the US states. Its service is available through a variety of platforms including Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and Android TV.
The agreement with Boosteroid is the third of its kind that Microsoft has signed recently. In February, Redmond established 10-year partnerships with Nvidia and Nintendo To bring Activision and Xbox games (including Call of Duty) to GeForce Now and Nintendo hardware like the Switch.
Microsoft President Brad Smith He said The Boosteroid deal shows regulators that their acquisition of Activision Blizzard will make CoD available on far more devices than before.
Regulators in several major markets are currently reviewing the takeover due to competition concerns. Some, including rival Sony, are of the opinion that Microsoft could gain an unfair advantage if it were to make franchises like Call of Duty exclusive to its platforms. For example, if future CoD entries are only available on Xbox, some die-hard PlayStation owners can jump in.
Microsoft has also made it clear that it is not interested in acquiring Activision Blizzard unless Call of Duty is part of the package. This situation effectively eliminates the possibility of Activision Blizzard divesting assets such as CoD to alleviate competition concerns.
One way or another, the misfortune could soon be settled. The European Commission has until April 25 to announce its decision. UK regulators have set a deadline of April 26 for their ruling.
Image credit: Helmet by Tassos Mansour, cod by Kabita Darlami
