According to KitGuru.net, Ubisoft has officially begun integrating Activision Blizzard titles into its Ubisoft+ Premium subscription service starting today. This is the first tangible result of the perpetual cloud-streaming rights deal Ubisoft secured back in August 2023. The initial launch is happening through an integration with Nvidia’s GeForce Now platform. The first games available to stream right now are the standard editions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Ubisoft confirms this is just the beginning, with more titles from Activision and Blizzard expected to join the catalogue in the coming months.
The strategy behind the stream
So here’s the thing. This isn’t just about adding a few popular games to a subscription library. It’s the first major play from that cloud rights deal everyone was talking about during Microsoft’s giant acquisition. Ubisoft’s SVP of Corporate Partnerships, Chris Early, basically said the quiet part out loud: this move is meant to “strengthen the service’s content offering” and, crucially, allow Ubisoft to license these titles to other cloud providers and console makers.
Think about that for a second. Ubisoft+ just became a wholesale distributor for some of the biggest game IP on the planet, in the cloud. GeForce Now is just the first partner. The real endgame here seems to be turning Ubisoft into a central hub for streaming these Activision Blizzard games everywhere. Other subscription services, maybe even console platforms that want a cloud offering? They might have to talk to Ubisoft now. It’s a brilliant, and frankly powerful, middleman position to be in.
What this means for gamers
For subscribers, it’s a pretty straightforward win. More big games for your monthly fee. But look, the immediate impact is a bit narrow because it’s only on Ubisoft+ Premium and only streamable via GeForce Now at launch. If you’re not in that ecosystem, you’re waiting. The promise of future expansion to other cloud services is the key.
And let’s be real, starting with the standard editions of the recent Call of Duty games is a savvy move. It’s the headline act. But bundling in the beloved Crash and Spyro trilogies? That’s smart padding. It offers something for almost everyone. It makes the service instantly more attractive to a much wider audience. Now the pressure is on to see what comes next. Diablo IV? Overwatch 2? The back catalogue is deep, and Ubisoft will probably drip-feed these additions to keep the news cycle positive.
The bigger picture
This is a watershed moment for game streaming, honestly. We’ve seen services come and go, but this is a third-party publisher leveraging a rights deal to become a major content aggregator. It fragments the streaming landscape a bit more, but it also injects serious competition. Microsoft has Xbox Cloud Gaming, Sony has PlayStation Plus Premium, and now Ubisoft has this unique, licensable catalogue.
What does success look like for Ubisoft? I think it’s two-fold. First, driving a ton of new subscribers to Ubisoft+ Premium. But second, and maybe more lucrative long-term, is becoming the essential B2B partner for anyone else who wants to offer these games in the cloud. That’s a whole new revenue stream they just created out of a regulatory compromise. Not bad. The next few months, as more games and more platform partners are announced, will show us if this gamble is really paying off.
