If there is one thing I’m tired of, it’s not playing broken games on launch, it’s not hackers in competitive games, and it’s also not microtransactions. No, the one thing I never want to hear about, know about, or write about ever again is the ridiculous Microsoft/Activision/Blizzard/Sony debacle that is seemingly never-ending.
One of the more ridiculous plot twists in the saga is Xbox boss Phil Spenser having this weird condition where he can’t stop signing 10-year deals to bring Activision games to different platforms before the acquisition has even gone through. Some of these deals have made sense, and some haven’t. Some of the contracts have been rejected (looking at you, Steam and Sony), and some have been signed with companies like Boosteroid and Ubitus, who many hadn’t even heard of until this plague of signing commenced.
And now, before the ink from Phil Spenser’s last signed deal is even dry, he is at it again. While we happily slept, Phil-signs-a lot-Spencer was manically signing agreements like a madman. The latest deal is with EE, one of the UK’s major mobile phone networks.
Microsoft and @EE are expanding our partnership with a 10-year commitment in cloud gaming to bring PC games built by Activision Blizzard, following the acquisition, and Xbox to @EE customers. We are committed to bring more games to more people, however they choose to play.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) April 11, 2023
As with the other deals, this agreement will bring Activision Blizzard games to the network for ten years. At this point, it doesn’t seem like many of these deals are set up in good faith. Instead, it is being accrued so that Microsoft can take them to institutions like the Federal Trade Commission, Competition and Markets Authority, and European Union to prove that it’s not trying to exploit its control over Activision to distort the market unfairly.
What do you think about this latest deal? Is there a solid foundation to bring games to a mobile network, or is it just part of an ill-advised ploy by Microsoft to look like the good guy? Let us know in the comments.