Microsoft plans to sell off Activision Blizzard cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft
- Thread starter JAHGamer
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They're not siding with MS, they're literally getting their IPs exclusively on their cloud platform, allowing them to earn more by putting them on PS. MS got fleeced in this deal. They no longer have IPs they can hold hostage. Ubisoft now controls all releases when it comes to cloud.
As for them buying Ubisoft. It's an idea I entertained as a joke as well but if MS isn't allowed to outright get Activision, why would the regulators allow them to bypass the new deal by buying Ubisoft and reverting that cloud publishing back to them and on top of that get all Ubisoft IPs?
Microsoft will very likely acquire Ubisoft in a couple of years. Would match with the relationship both have. Also French do prefer American culture. They will probably now wait until Sony reveals buying Square Enix and other studio acquisitions.
If regulators don't allow MS to outright buy Activision and all their IPs and publishing rights, what makes you think they'll allow them to buy Ubisoft, effectively bypassing their regulations? Not to mention getting all of Ubisofts IPs in the process AND a competing cloud platform?
And yet here they are, outright refusing MS' previous deals and forcing them to give up cloud publishing rights on all Activision IPs to a 3rd party, effectively making all those games multiplatform.
Even the EU is getting pissy about it.
Yeah i can't imagine the pathetic weasels in the EU being very happy now.
They've been forced to look at this merger again because the CMA forced microsofts hand.
Sony still has a separate 10 years deal with Microsoft so I hope it guarantees native version on Playstation and not all this Ubisoft fuckery.
I know Ubi+ was announced on PS5 but I'm sure they're rethinking that now.
I know Ubi+ was announced on PS5 but I'm sure they're rethinking that now.
The EUC have to look up again the deal?
I thought they already decided.
Keeps getting confusing…
They decided on the old deal. This is a brand new one so they'll have to look at it. I'm sure the decision will remain the same, though.
Yeah somewhat, here's a comment from a mlex report
Although they probably will just say they don't need to do any in depth investigations and just waive it through.
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Ubisoft will be free to do whatever they feel best with streaming rights. They'll probably have them on XGP and PSN, at least for the live service games. (which, since this is modern day AB, is all of them)
If CMA didn't allow a platform holder to hold those rights, why would it be any different for a platform holder that tries to acquire Ubisoft?
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The Sony 10 year deal seems to only be for Call of Duty, and any exclusives ABK games will have to be streamed on PlayStation.
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They will still be on GP natively, just not streamable through xcloud UNLESS Ubisoft sells Xbox a license
Apparently MS is sharing CoD/ABK with all cloud gaming services to appeal the CMA. Ubisoft also has a cloud gaming service, Ubisoft + (via Amazon Luna). So they'll get ABK stuff too.
In addition to this, according to MS Ubisoft bought the rights to control in perpetuity the streaming rights of all current and new Activision Blizzard PC and console games released over the next 15 years, but Ubisoft will have to honor all the previous cloud gaming deals MS+ABK signed with the other cloud gaming providers. The agreement with Ubisoft has been structured so that Microsoft will still acquire the rights needed to honor fully its legal obligations under its commitments to the European Commission, as well as its existing contractual obligations to other cloud game streaming providers, including Nvidia, Boosteroid, Ubitus, and Nware.
Meaning, now Ubisoft could reach a deal with Sony or another cloud gaming platform to put in services like PS+ cloud gaming forever any Activision Blizzard game published before 2039. MS would get the cloud gaming rights of the Activision Blizzard games published in 2039 and later. All the cloud gaming services that got the 10 years deal with MS will still get it, and it's fair to assume that MS will continue having the AB games for Xcloud.
Ubisot won't sell the company, first because they don't want and second because they can't at least during several years, when sold Ubi shares to Tencent signed this deal: "Tencent will not be able to sell its shares for five years, beyond which the Guillemot family will have a pre-emptive right to buy the shares. Ubisoft also said Tencent pledged not to increase its direct stake in the French games maker beyond 9.99% for a period of eight years"
Both Ubisoft and ABK are top 3rd party publishers for consoles. ABK not being a 3P anymore means Ubisoft climbs one position in the 'most important 3P console publishers' ranking.
The CMA considered that to keep CoD exclusive in a single cloud gaming platform could potentially hurt the potential future cloud gaming platform. So MS signed deals to put CoD (and in some years other AB games) during 10 years in multiple cloud gaming platforms. And sold the cloud gaming rights of all Activision Blizzard games published before 2039 to Ubisoft, meaning Ubisoft could license them to more cloud gaming companies as could be Sony, Nintendo, Apple, Tencent, etc.
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