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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The headline describes a real deal, but not a new one: Microsoft announced the Ubisoft arrangement in August 2023, and the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) approved it when Microsoft completed its Activision Blizzard acquisition on October 13, 2023. Microsoft transferred defined cloud-streaming rights—not Activision Blizzard or ownership of its games—to Ubisoft to address the CMA’s competition concerns.
What Microsoft transferred to Ubisoft
The arrangement covers the cloud-streaming rights to Activision Blizzard’s current PC and console games, plus titles released during the 15 years after the acquisition closed. Cloud streaming means running a game on remote servers and delivering the gameplay to a user over the internet. It is distinct from buying or downloading a game to play locally.
Ubisoft can use those rights through its own services and license them to other cloud-gaming providers. The deal allows commercial models such as buy-to-play and multigame subscriptions; it does not guarantee that a particular title will be available on every service. Microsoft’s FAQ on the rights transfer and Ubisoft’s announcement describe the arrangement.
What the transfer did not include
- Ownership of Activision Blizzard or its underlying game copyrights and brands.
- General console-distribution or publishing rights.
- A promise that Ubisoft will license every game to every provider, or that services will add titles simultaneously.
Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard; Ubisoft received a defined category of streaming rights. The rights are also geographically qualified: outside the European Economic Area (EEA), Ubisoft received them on an exclusive basis under the restructured transaction. In the EEA, separate European Commission commitments govern relevant access, and the rights are not exclusive in the same way. Ubisoft’s announcement describes the EEA distinction.
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Why the CMA objected to the original deal
On April 26, 2023, the CMA blocked Microsoft’s proposed acquisition, focusing primarily on cloud gaming. Its concern was that Microsoft could combine Activision Blizzard’s important games with its existing cloud infrastructure and Xbox ecosystem, potentially giving it the incentive and ability to disadvantage rival services. The CMA cited risks to competition, innovation and consumer choice—not simply the fact that Microsoft would own popular games.
The regulator’s concern included access to titles such as Call of Duty, Overwatch and World of Warcraft. The CMA explained its original decision in its prohibition statement.
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How the remedy changed the regulatory outcome
After the original deal was blocked, Microsoft proposed a restructured transaction that put the relevant cloud-streaming rights in Ubisoft’s hands rather than leaving Microsoft in control of them in the same way. Ubisoft could then negotiate with multiple providers and choose among different licensing models. That was the remedy’s competition logic; it was not a guarantee of low prices, universal licensing or immediate access on every platform.
The CMA concluded that the revised structure addressed its remaining cloud-gaming concerns and approved the acquisition on October 13, 2023. The regulator’s explanation of the revised deal and approval statement set out its reasoning. The CMA case page records the review and outcome.
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What the deal means by region
| Region | Relevant framework | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | The CMA reviewed and approved the restructured transaction. | Ubisoft holds the transferred cloud-streaming rights under the remedy; specific service access depends on licensing and availability. |
| European Economic Area | European Commission cloud-streaming commitments apply separately. | The EEA arrangement is not simply the same exclusive transfer that applies outside the EEA. Microsoft’s EEA FAQ explains the commitments and existing licenses. |
| Outside the EEA | The restructured transaction transferred the relevant cloud-streaming rights to Ubisoft, generally on an exclusive basis. | Microsoft’s ability to stream covered games depends on the Ubisoft arrangement and applicable licenses; the transfer does not itself determine console access. |
What players should and should not infer
Xbox Cloud Gaming
The remedy did not impose a blanket ban on Xbox Cloud Gaming carrying Activision Blizzard games. It changed who controls the relevant rights and the licensing framework. Whether a given game is available through Xbox Cloud Gaming depends on the applicable territory, title and arrangements.
GeForce NOW and other cloud services
Ubisoft can license covered games to cloud providers, but the right to negotiate is not the same as a guarantee that any specific provider will carry every game. In the EEA, Microsoft says existing agreements with providers including Nvidia GeForce NOW, Ubitus, Boosteroid and Nware covered rights that did not automatically require a second Ubisoft license. See the Xbox EEA FAQ.
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Ubisoft+ and possible extra costs
Ubisoft’s US cloud-gaming page lists selected Activision and Blizzard games for play through GeForce NOW and Blacknut with Ubisoft+ Premium, while stating that a membership with the cloud provider is not included and must be purchased separately. That means Ubisoft+ alone does not necessarily provide the streaming service needed to play a listed game. Catalogs, regions and terms can change; check the Ubisoft+ cloud page for current listings.
Console purchases and local play
The cloud-rights transfer does not, by itself, change who owns a console copy or whether a game can be bought for a console. Console and local PC access are separate from streaming a game from a remote server.
Quick Recap
Timeline: from CMA block to approval
- April 26, 2023: The CMA blocked the original proposed acquisition over cloud-gaming competition concerns. CMA statement.
- August 21–22, 2023: Microsoft announced a restructured transaction involving Ubisoft’s cloud-streaming rights, and the CMA opened a new review. Microsoft announcement; CMA review announcement.
- September 22, 2023: The CMA said the revised deal addressed its previous cloud-gaming concerns, subject to final review. CMA statement.
- October 13, 2023: The CMA approved the restructured acquisition and Microsoft completed the purchase. CMA case page.
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