Microsoft has not run out of ways to make the Activision acquisition a success. This time, they turned to Nvidia for help.
The assistance was carried out in the form of a 10-year cooperation agreement to bring the Call of Duty game series and various other games made by Activision to Nvidia's gaming platform. The condition, of course, is that Microsoft must be allowed to proceed with its $69 billion acquisition of Activision.
This collaboration is like ensuring that games made by Activision will still be available for platforms outside of Xbox. The reason for this acquisition was opposed by a number of parties, including Sony, for fear that it would make Activision's games only available for Xbox or other Microsoft platforms.
However, it is not known whether this cooperation will affect the regulators in various countries who oppose the acquisition. One of them is the British Government, which in early February said that the acquisition could have a bad impact on gamers because it weakens the competition between Xbox and PlayStation
One impact is higher prices, fewer choices, and less innovation. Rivalry in cloud gaming is also considered to be weakening.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said he was optimistic that the acquisition could continue after their agreement with Nvidia. Microsoft is also doing a similar partnership with Nintendo.
Smith also hopes that Sony, the party most vehemently opposed to Activision's acquisition, would do a similar partnership with Microsoft. Sony has always opposed the acquisition because it thinks it's bad for the competition, bad for the gaming industry, and bad for gamers.
According to Phil Eisler, VP and General Manager of Nvidia GeForce Now, it is impossible for big game titles like Call of Duty to be available on Nvidia's cloud gaming service unless Microsoft acquires Activision. Although in fact there are other popular games that are included in the agreement, namely Minecraft.
"We were actually a bit worried at first. But after we contacted Microsoft, and they were very open to bringing it to cloud gaming, then working with us on a 10 year partnership agreement. So over time, they made us feel comfortable," Eisler said.
In this collaboration, Nvidia does not pay Microsoft for games that are presented in cloud gaming, just like Nvidia's agreements with other game companies such as Epic Games.
But it is Nvidia's consumers who claim to have reached 25 million who are paying, namely paying for access to Nvidia's cloud gaming and buying the games from Microsoft, we were quoted as saying by Reuters, Wednesday (22/2/2023).