Boosteroid, another cloud gaming service, is getting Xbox games, Call of Duty, more

Ben Schoon | Mar 14 2023 - 7:54 am PT

Cloud gaming has seen some losses over the past few months, but Microsoft is pushing some new life into the industry. As it continues to push for its Activision-Blizzard deal, Microsoft just reached a major deal with cloud gaming service Boosteroid that will bring Xbox games and Activision-Blizzard titles, including Call of Duty, to the service.

Boosteroid is an independent cloud gaming platform based out of Ukraine. The service has been expanding rapidly over the past couple of years, working across Europe, the US, and other regions. The platform works similarly to GeForce Now, providing players access to PC games they already own, but streaming via mobile devices, TVs (including Android TV OS), and computers including underpowered laptops.

A new 10-year agreement between Microsoft and Boosteroid will bring access to Xbox PC games as well as Activision-Blizzard PC games to Boosteroid players. Microsoft explicitly calls out Call of Duty as one supported title, but there are no specific limits on what titles may arrive.

Microsoft Corp. and Boosteroid on Tuesday announced a 10-year agreement to bring Xbox PC games to Boosteroid’s cloud gaming platform. Boosteroid, which has its software development team in Ukraine, recently surpassed 4 million users globally and has become the largest independent cloud gaming provider in the world. The agreement will also enable Activision Blizzard PC titles to be streamed by Boosteroid customers after Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard closes.

Microsoft says that with this deal and others announced recently – such as with GeForce Now and Nintendo – Call of Duty will surpass “150 million additional players.”

Of course, this comes as Microsoft is still pushing hard to gain regulatory approval for its acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, which has faced stiff opposition thus far due to fears of stifling competition. Google Stadia was at one point brought out as proof of the lessened competition from increased consolidation of major gaming companies, with the service having shut down earlier this year and a “lack of games” being a major complaint among users when it was available.