Microsoft has announced a 10-year deal with Nvidia to bring Xbox PC games to the GeForce Now streaming platform, including Call of Duty should its proposed Activision Blizzard deal close.

It comes only a day after Microsoft announced a similar 10-year deal to return Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms, and may allay the worries of market regulators over Microsoft’s growing size and potential exclusive hold over Call of Duty.

➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Xbox on GeForce Now

• ☁️ Future Xbox games released on PC will also be put on GeForce Now

• 📢 Microsoft and Nvidia announced the partnership jointly

• 🤝 Microsoft likely made the move to ease concerns about its Activision deal

• 📅 it announced a similar deal with Nintendo earlier this week

Reports from earlier this year alleged Nvidia was worried about the Microsoft-Activision tie-up and had provided evidence to support the FTC’s claim that Microsoft would take an unfair advantage in the nascent cloud gaming market as the FTC sued to block the buyout.

Nvidia is now throwing its weight behind the deal, stating its new partnership with Xbox “delivers increased choice to gamers and resolves Nvidia concerns with Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Nvidia therefore is offering its full support for regulatory approval of the acquisition.”

“Microsoft and Nvidia 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.”

It means Xbox Cloud Gaming, Microsoft’s in-house streaming service, will no longer be the only way of playing first-party Xbox games over the cloud on PC and smartphones.

“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,” said Jeff Fisher, senior vice president for GeForce at Nvidia. 

He added: “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.”

Regulators outside of the US have also taken issue with the buyout. The UK’s CMA is expected to stall the deal on the basis it could lead to higher prices, reduced range in the industry, lower-quality services and reduced innovation. To push it through, the CMA proposed Microsoft could drop its acquisition of Call of Duty altogether and buy only the other franchises held by Activision Blizzard.

A resolution looks a long way off yet, but Nvidia GeForce Now could be one of the best ways to play Xbox games in the future. New GeForce Now Ultimate memberships will offer 5 times the power of an Xbox Series X, but it costs $19.99 per month or $99.99 for six months.