Did the ABK Block Just Kill Xbox’s Deal With GeForce Now and Boosteroid?
It’s official! The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK has officially blocked Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard King (ABK) deal from going through. Some have questioned whether this move will prevent previously promised Xbox Studio games from being ported to cloud gaming platforms, like GeForce NOW, Boosteroid, and more. Now, on the heels of the announcement, we have an official answer.
According to an NVIDIA spokesperson high up in the cloud gaming division, the CMA’s decision on the ABK deal, as well as any pending appeals by Microsoft, will have absolutely zero affect on Xbox first-party titles coming to cloud gaming platforms. It does mean, however, that Activision, Blizzard, and King games are no longer part of this deal. As a result, Call of Duty won’t be coming to GeForce NOW or Boosteroid unless Activision chooses to do so on its own volition.
The agreement with Microsoft and Xbox PC games will proceed regardless of the outcome of the acquisition. — NVIDIA Spokesperson
As for when Xbox’s first-party games are coming to cloud gaming platforms, users should expect these titles to land sometime this year, beginning with Xbox’s PC games on Steam, followed up with support for the Microsoft Store.
