Microsoft and NVIDIA have struck a 10 year deal which will bring Xbox PC games to the NVIDIA GeForce NOW cloud gaming service.
In a joint statement announcing the deal, the two firms say it “resolves NVIDIA’s concerns with Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard,” which is currently undergoing regulatory assessment.
The UK’s competition body has recently expressed concerns about a post-merger reduction in choice for players.
The agreement between Microsoft and NVIDIA will enable gamers to stream Xbox PC titles from GeForce NOW to PCs, macOS, Chromebooks, smartphones and other devices, with Activision Blizzard PC titles, including Call of Duty, to be added if the acquisition goes through.
Both companies will begin work immediately to integrate Xbox PC games into GeForce NOW, so that GeForce NOW members can stream PC games they buy in the Windows Store, including third-party partner titles where the publisher has granted streaming rights to NVIDIA.
Xbox PC games currently available in third-party stores like Steam or Epic Games Store will also be able to be streamed through GeForce NOW.
“Xbox remains committed to giving people more choice and finding ways to expand how people play,” said Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer.
“This partnership will help grow NVIDIA’s catalog of titles to include games like Call of Duty, while giving developers more ways to offer streaming games. We are excited to offer gamers more ways to play the games they love.”
Jeff Fisher, senior vice president for GeForce at NVIDIA, commented: “Combining the incredibly rich catalog of Xbox first party games with GeForce NOW’s high-performance streaming capabilities will propel cloud gaming into a mainstream offering that appeals to gamers at all levels of interest and experience.
“Through this partnership, more of the world’s most popular titles will now be available from the cloud with just a click, playable by millions more gamers.”