Microsoft Announces 10-Year Deal With Cloud Gaming Platform Boosteroid

Microsoft announced this morning a new 10-year deal with Boosteroid, a global cloud gaming provider founded in 2016 and based in Ukraine. Through this new licensing deal, Microsoft will make its Xbox PC games available on Boosteroid and the agreement will also apply to Activision Blizzard games if Microsoft is allowed to complete its acquisition of the company.

In the press release, Microsoft describes Boosteroid as “the largest independent cloud gaming provider in the world” with over 4 million users across the globe. The company has data centers in six US states as well as in the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine and Serbia. And it has apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and Android TV.

“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,” said Phil Spencer, CEO of Gaming, Microsoft. “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.”

Boosteroid is quite similar to Nvidia’s GeForce Now: Users need to pay a monthly or annual subscription to access the service, and they can use it to play free-to-play games or games they’ve already purchased on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and other digital games store. However, the default quality on Boosteroid is limited to 1080p at 60 FPS, while Nvidia’s GeForce Now has an Ultimate tier that supports 4K gameplay at up to 120 FPS.

Microsoft previously announced a similar 10-year deal to bring its PC Xbox games (and Activision Blizzard) titles to Nvidia’s GeForce Now service. The Remond also announced another 10-year deal to bring back Call of Duty on Nintendo consoles.

Obviously, Microsoft really intends to prove to regulators that are currently scrutinizing its Activision Blizzard acquisition that it has no intention to make these games exclusive to its own platforms. When asked by the Wall Street Journal if Microsoft was going to make additional licensing deals in the coming weeks, Microsoft President Brad Smith said that “more will follow.”