Microsoft inks Nvidia game deal to assuage regulators over Activision merger
Computers are ubiquitous in modern life, so it’s no surprise that Microsoft has inked a deal with Nvidia. The two companies announced a partnership on Wednesday that will see Microsoft bring Xbox games to Nvidia’s cloud gaming service.
The move is a direct response to the recent merger between Activision and Blizzard, which created a potential conflict of interest for Microsoft. The Redmond, Wash.-based company owns the Xbox game console, while Nvidia is a major supplier of graphics chips for PCs.
The new partnership will allow Microsoft to publish Xbox games on Nvidia’s GeForce Now service, which lets gamers play PC games on devices like the Shield TV streaming box. It’s a direct shot at Google, which is launching a similar service, Stadia, later this year.
“This is a big win for Nvidia,” said David Cole, an analyst at research firm DFC Intelligence. “It shows that the company is still very much in the game.”
The deal is also a positive for Microsoft, which has been on the losing end of the game streaming wars so far. The company’s own service, Azure, has been slow to take off, while Sony’s PlayStation Now has been a hit with gamers.
“This is an important step for Microsoft,” Cole said. “It’s an acknowledgment that game streaming is the future.”
The partnership is a win for gamers as well, who will have more choice in how they play their games. And it’s a sign that the game streaming wars are only just beginning.
