Microsoft and Nvidia enter a partnership to bring Xbox and Activision games to GeForce Now

In context: While regulatory agencies are expressing concerns about the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft is still trying to win over powerful allies. A new agreement with Nvidia is seemingly pushing the GeForce company to offer its full support for the approval of the aforementioned acquisition.

Microsoft and Nvidia have just announced a 10-year partnership to bring Xbox PC games to the GeForce Now cloud gaming service, a move that should provide easier access to games on any device. More importantly, Microsoft is also promising to include Activision Blizzard games once the controversial acquisition is finalized.

The new agreement will let gamers stream Xbox PC titles from GeForce Now servers to PCs, macOS, Chromebooks, smartphones and the other devices supported by the service. Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard games will also join the fray once the acquisition is done.

According to Jeff Fisher, senior vice president for GeForce at Nvidia, the agreement combines the rich catalog of Xbox first-party games with GeForce Now’s “high-performance streaming capabilities.” The combined strength of the two products should “propel cloud gaming into a mainstream offering,” Fisher said, even though gaming companies have tried (and failed) to reach that same goal for decades now.

We have signed a 10 year agreement with Nvidia that will allow GeForce NOW players to stream Xbox PC games as well as Activision Blizzard PC titles, including COD, following the acquisition. We’re committed to bringing more games to more people – however they choose to play.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 21, 2023

As highlighted by Xbox head Phil Spencer, Microsoft is committed to bringing “more games to more people” however they choose to play. The partnership is also resolving Nvidia’s concerns about the Activision Blizzard acquisition, the press release states, therefore Nvidia will offer its “full support” for regulatory approval of the acquisition.

Microsoft and Nvidia will now work on the integration between Xbox PC games and the GeForce Now streaming service, allowing players who purchased supported games on the Windows Store or other digital outlets to stream them through a GeForce Now client. Microsoft highlights that a 10-year agreement with Nintendo was also finalized, promising to bring the “latest version” of Call of Duty to Nintendo consoles after the merger.

The Microsoft-Nvidia agreement is another attempt to try and reassure regulators about the Redmond giant not meaning to play dirty after acquiring the Call of Duty publisher. Popular game franchises from Activision Blizzard should continue to be released on other platforms and game consoles – at least within a 10-year timeframe. Regulatory agencies could read the story in a different way, however, as there is no guarantee that after that period has passed, Microsoft won’t have a more dominant position in the gaming market and leverage that to crush the competition.