Microsoft signs Japanese licensing agreement amid Activision deal

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Microsoft signed a 10-year licensing deal to bring Activisions Call of Duty franchise to Japanese cloud gaming provider Ubitus on Wednesday, the latest move by the company to address regulatory worries about its bid for the games maker.

While Xbox maker Microsoft is likely to secure EU antitrust approval for acquiring Activision with such licensing deals and other behavioural remedies, it is facing headwinds in the United States and Britain.

“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,” the chief executive of Microsofts gaming division, Phil Spencer, said in a tweet.

The company agreed a similar deal with cloud gaming provider Boosteroid a day earlier, on top of agreements with Nvidia, Nintendo and U.S. distributor Valve Corp, owner of the worlds largest video game distribution platform, Steam.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)