Microsoft and Ubisoft agree streaming rights for Activision Blizzard games

thesixthaxis.com:

Microsoft and Ubisoft have agreed a 15 year deal that gives Ubisoft the right to stream Activision Blizzard games. This will come into effect once the Microsoft of Activision Blizzard has been formally confirmed. This will mean services like Ubisoft+ will having streaming rights to the Call of Duty, as well as other Activision Blizzard games that will come in the future.

“We’re dedicated to delivering amazing experiences to our players wherever they choose to play,” said Chris Early Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Business Development, Ubisoft. “Over the past 15 years we’ve built and honed our online services and distribution ecosystem into one of the most complete in the industry. Today’s deal will give players even more opportunities to access and enjoy some of the biggest brands in gaming.”

The deal between Microsoft and Ubisoft has been structured so it does not fall foul of regulatory bodies. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision has hit stumbling blocks with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the US and the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK having concerns, including Microsoft gaining a monopoly over the game streaming market. The FTC lost its appeal to halt the acquisition last month, and the CMA had paused its appeal but confirmed that it had blocked the deal. The new deal itself gives Ubisoft exclusive rights to stream Activision Blizzard games in most of the world. However, in the European Economic Area these rights are non exclusive, meaning other companies can in theory stream the games too in other deals. This deal includes all current Activision Blizzard games and all future games for the next 15 years. This morning, the BBC has reported that Microsoft has submitted a new deal