Software and internet technology giant Microsoft have announced an expanded 10-year partnership with broadband ISP and mobile giant EE (BT). This is said to reflect a “commitment in cloud gaming to bring PC games built by Activision Blizzard, following the acquisition, and Xbox” to customers of the UK telecoms provider.
At the time of writing, this announcement only seems to have been confirmed via two vague posts from Microsoft and EE on Twitter (here and here). Neither of which clarifies what customers can actually expect from the expanded agreement. But historically, both customers of EE and BT have often been offered broadband and mobile packages with discounted access to Microsoft’s Xbox Live service for online gaming (game passes).
The CEO of BT’s Consumer Division, Marc Allera, added: “We share Microsoft’s vision of more games for more players. It’s all part of EE’s ambition to be the no.1 destination for gamers and the most personal, customer-focused brand in the UK. We’re providing an unbeatable network for gaming, offering the best 5G and fibre connectivity with the best partners, products and great value services.”
At this point it’s worth noting that the UK’s competition regulator (CMA) is still investigating (Phase 2) the anticipated acquisition by Microsoft of Activision Blizzard, which came after their Phase 1 investigation initially suggested that the mega-merger “[gave] rise to a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition (SLC) in gaming consoles, multi-game subscription services, and cloud gaming services.”
However, the CMA later narrowed their focus to the cloud gaming side of things, which came after they provisionally concluded that the merger would not result in a substantial lessening of competition in console gaming services “because the cost to Microsoft of withholding Call of Duty from PlayStation would outweigh any gains from taking such action“.