Microsoft plans to share top games like C.O.D. with rivals to save its Activision-quisition

Multiplayer mode on… Microsoft is trying to win friends and influence people. The Xbox maker struck deals to share its gaming treasures with some of its biggest rivals in hopes of pushing its $69B Activision Blizzard acquisition across the finish line. Microsoft’s bid to buy the “Call of Duty” maker (which would be the largest tech deal ever) has been on ice as regulators and gaming rivals worry the merger would hurt competition. Yesterday Microsoft announced moves to soothe their concerns:

• Chipper: Microsoft said it struck a 10-year partnership with Nvidia to make its Xbox PC games available on Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service. Microsoft said Nvidia is now “offering its full support” for the Activision acquisition.
• Switch’d on: Microsoft also sealed a 10-year deal with Nintendo to make the newest “Call of Duty” available on its devices at the same time it drops on Xbox (if the acquisition gets approved).

Thinking outside the Xbox… and getting “Minecraft”-y. Microsoft said the Nvidia and Nintendo deals will bring C.O.D. to 150M more people, addressing concerns that the popular game would be less available post-acquisition. But one mega-rival remains: Sony. Microsoft’s trying to convince the PlayStation maker that it’ll keep C.O.D. on PlayStation if the deal goes through, but Sony hadn’t accepted a deal as of yesterday. Microsoft said Sony makes up 70% of the global console market.