Microsoft continues to try and convince governing bodies like the CMA and European Commission to approve its Activision acquisition. That venture has been furthered today via the reveal that Microsoft has penned a deal with Ubitus, a move that also suggests Call of Duty will be a cloud-based game if and when it arrives on Nintendo Switch.
Xbox confirmed it wasn't joking when it offered Nintendo a decade-long Call of Duty deal by officially reaching an agreement with the platform last month. Despite reaching an agreement, and Xbox promising it will be the same Call of Duty that can be found on other more powerful platforms, many remain skeptical that can realistically be achieved.
The Ubitus deal may well have revealed what Xbox is planning to do to make Call of Duty on Switch happen via The Verge. Ubitus is a studio based in Taiwan known for aiding studios in making sure heavy-duty games can launch on Switch, but doing so by making them playable through cloud gaming. Ubitus is responsible for Control, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Resident Evil 7 running on Switch, all of which use the studio's cloud streaming tech.
“Microsoft and Ubitus, 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,” Phil Spencer revealed on Twitter. No confirmation that Call of Duty will be a cloud-based game on Nintendo hardware, but certainly a leading reason why Xbox would want Ubitus on board.
It will also greatly aid Microsoft in counteracting some of the points made against its acquisition by the CMA. The governing body highlighted the risk of Xbox dominating the cloud gaming market should its merger be approved, even mentioning Ubitus and Boosteroid, another cloud gaming studio Xbox has signed a deal with, by name when listing others that might be negatively affected by the deal.