Microsoft and Ukraine’s software development team Boosteroid have signed a 10-year deal to bring its Xbox PC games as well as Activision Blizzard staples such as Call of Duty to its cloud gaming platform.
Boosteroid stands as the largest independent cloud gaming provider outside of US-led companies, and Microsoft announced earlier today an agreement to stream both Xbox and Activision Blizzard PC titles to its over 4 million users, if and when, its merger is approved and completed.
The new agreement adds yet another counter argument against the narrative that Microsoft intends to exclusively-lock leading titles to its own platform if granted approval to buyout Activision Blizzard.
As Microsoft points out, through the additional three deals that have already been proposed and signed since the Activision Blizzard merger has gone under regulatory investigations, they will serve as potential pathways for franchises such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Halo and Forza to expand to 150 million more players on multiple cloud gaming services.
Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming punctuated today’s agreement with the following statement,
We believe in the power of games to bring people together. That’s why Xbox is committed to give everyone more ways to play their favorite games, across devices. Bringing Xbox PC games to Boosteroid members, including Activision Blizzard titles such as ‘Call of Duty’ once the deal closes, is yet another step in realizing that vision.
Today’s agreement comes in addition to the $430 million in technology and financial assistance Microsoft has invested in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion into the region, as well as the company adding support for the Ukrainian language on the Xbox console dashboard, in Windows, and its own mobile apps.
Microsoft plans to launch its PC Game Pass in Ukraine as soon as Spring 2023.
