Microsoft plans to sell off Activision Blizzard cloud gaming rights to Ubisoft
- Thread starter JAHGamer
- Start date
Microsoft said that Ubisoft bought the cloud gaming rights IN PERPETUITY of all Activision Blizzard games published before 2039, while also honoring any previous cloud gaming related deal that MS/ABK did (all these '10 years' deals).
Meaning, tomorrow Ubisoft could license all AB games published until 2039 to be available who knows if day one in cloud gaming platforms owned by Sony, Nintendo, Apple, Google, etc. and keep there forever if Ubi wants because they bought these rights.
It means Ubisoft will have forever the cloud gaming rights of the AB games released before 2039 and MS will have the cloud gaming rights of the AB games published in 2039 and later.
MS says in the press release :
"The agreement provides Ubisoft with a unique opportunity to commercialize the distribution of games via cloud streaming. The agreement will enable Ubisoft to innovate and encourage different business models in the licensing and pricing of these games on cloud streaming services worldwide. Ubisoft will compensate Microsoft for the cloud streaming rights to Activision Blizzard’s games through a one-off payment and through a market-based wholesale pricing mechanism, including an option that supports pricing based on usage. It will also give Ubisoft the opportunity to offer Activision Blizzard’s games to cloud gaming services running non-Windows operating systems."
Yep, and I think that thread has slowed down tremendously as people start to realize Xbox wont have any notable Activision exclusives for a while. Even when next gen starts COD will be on PS6 still and the next Diablo probably wont be out until PS7 lol.
Fuck them you can see how much they just want to take bribes by who they were ready to employ someone that's worked for Microsoft, is a US citizen & has no European citizenship
Here's what you're missing: cloud availability for these games means very little to the active market because there is a hard cap on the number of gamers interested in cloud. Certain cloud services, like Sony's are also married to their game subscription service. In theory they can put cloud versions of these games in their service Day 1 via licensing agreements with Ubisoft, but that would negatively impact B2P sales revenue, potentially.
It's similar in way why MS throwing around an offer for COD Day 1 in services like PS+ was never really on the table for Sony: subscription services have slowed down in sub growth and have a hard cap limit, while putting big games like COD in such a service Day 1 is potentially negative impact to the B2P sales revenue of that game on the console and could have a trickle-down negative effect on B2P sales of other games on the system.
Who has the rights to the cloud streaming versions of COD or other ABK games really means little to companies like Sony or, going by trends in the market, most gamers, in terms of having a positive impact on them (revenue growth in Sony's case, player habits in the customer's case).
Interesting. Market based wholesale sounds like if Ubisoft wants to make Actiblizz titles available via cloud streaming they need to become a retail storefront wherein they buy licenses to redistribute on their cloud service. That doesn't seem like it provides very many advantages to ubisoft.
Gotta love how the CMA thought they accomplished something while in fact that doesn't change a thing about native versions (Call of Duty being the exception because of the Sony deal).
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The deal is so watered down as to be useless. MS will essentially be flushing 70 bil down the toilet. Does anyone think any of this stuff will matter in 2039?
That's a good question. TBF, did anyone think GTA would be such a cultural heavyweight after the PS2 generation? IIRC GTA4 had a more muted response compared to previous entries.
Then GTA5 turned all of that around and then some. The IP's bigger than it's ever been. GTA6 could continue that or have a somewhat more muted response a la GTA4, who knows yet. I think COD is at a point where it's just always going to sell no matter what. Even if the baseline drops to 10 million per new entry, that's still 10 million a year on top of all the MTX/DLC money and Warzone money.
I guess MS are looking at that long-term and figure it's worth $69 billion over that. Even if it's overvalued, MS aren't really hurting for cash; they make enough in company profits & revenue to get that money back in a year in pure profits, and their market revenue & valuation ensures they won't hurt for spending $69 billion on ABK.
You'd think that alone would have given regulators more pause for concern, but nope.
None of the regulators really know fuck all about gaming they're all easily fooled by smoke & mirror deals look at those pathetic deals they made with no name cloud services as if they'll even still be operating in 10 years time the fact is when Microsoft controls the content no other subscription service can match them on price or content
Of course, I agree with everything you're saying.
But I don't think MS manages its products well, and Call of Duty has been milked for all it's worth recently (IMO). GTA releases are much less frequent overall, which is what builds up desire for the next one. That and the fact it's well done and Rockstar has a great reputation for quality.
I have a really hard time foreseeing an MS managed Call of Duty being important at all in other 16 years. Just my opinion.
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One of them already shut down
(NWare) and Boosteroid already has CoD and other ABK games illegally. They just straight up don’t pay for licenses and Microsoft *still* made a 10 year deal with them
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I agree, they get nothing exclusive. At this point all they’re paying for is ABK games on GamePass. What a waste, imagine that money going towards new studios or proper tech rnd
I guess the benefit to them is mainly related to mobile? This deal will do very little for Xbox in the scheme of things.