Microsoft Signs Another 10 Year Deal, this one is with Ubitus; FTC Request More Info on these Deals and More

Xbox is pulling in all the stops in order to bolster its case to acquire Activision Blizzard. The company has provided Nvidia, Nintendo, Boosteroid with 10-year deals to bring Xbox and PC games to their platforms. And just like that, a new third-party deal has popped up too and this time it is with another cloud-based platform called Ubitus.

Ubitus K.K. is known for cloud infrastructure, platforms, and cloud gaming. The company recently partnered with JioGamesCloud to bring its games on the platform. We have reached out to JioGamesCloud for a comment on the situation, and whether this deal will see Xbox and Activision Blizzard games on the platform. We will update this piece once we have an answer.

Microsoft and Ubitus will be entering a 10-year partnership, similar to the other deals the former has made after announcing the acquisition. Through the deal, Ubitus users will be able to stream Xbox and PC games, as well as Activision Blizzard titles once the deal goes through. This deal strengthens Xbox’s proposition of providing more games to new users.

Microsoft and Ubitus @ubituskk, a leading cloud gaming provider, have signed a 10-year partnership to stream Xbox PC Games as well as Activision Blizzard titles after the acquisition closes. Our commitment is to give more players, more choice.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) March 15, 2023

FTC Wishes to Investigate Microsoft 10-Year Third Party Deals

On the topic of Microsoft’s third-party deals, according to a report by VGC, FTC wants to investigate into the documents regarding these collaborations. FTC has stated that Microsoft has a clear intention of using these deals to bolster its defense but has “refused to produce underlying internal documents” regarding these deals or talks with parties such as Nvidia, Nintendo and Sony. The US regulators have added that Microsoft shouldn’t be allowed to use these deals in its defense “without producing the requested underlying discovery”.

Moreover, FTC also wishes to see the documents regarding the “exclusivity of content Microsoft acquired” from ZeniMax and also those related to Activision. ZeniMax is the acquisition that led to Bethesda coming under Microsoft’s banner. Lastly, FTC has also requested to see “documents related to Microsoft’s next-generation gaming ecosystem”, whose codename was redacted in the actual document.