Microsoft has announced a 10-year agreement with Boosteroid to bring Xbox PC games to its cloud gaming platform. Boosteroid, the largest independent cloud gaming provider in the world, has its software development team based in Ukraine and has recently surpassed 4 million users globally. The agreement will also enable Activision Blizzard PC titles to be streamed by Boosteroid customers after Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard closes.
By partnering with Boosteroid, Microsoft will make popular franchises like "Call of Duty" accessible to more than 150 million additional players. This means that games built by Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and Activision Blizzard will be playable on multiple cloud gaming services and subscriptions. Phil Spencer, CEO of Gaming at Microsoft, said, "Bringing Xbox PC games to Boosteroid members, including Activision Blizzard titles such as ‘Call of Duty’ once the deal closes, is yet another step in realizing that vision.”
Boosteroid's development team is based in Ukraine, and the company has been operating since 2017. Despite having two offices in Kharkiv damaged by Russian missile attacks, the company has continued to innovate and grow during the past 13 months of war. It offers cloud game streaming through both browser-based and dedicated applications, including for Windows, Linux, Android, Android TV and the macOS.
In addition to Ukraine itself, Boosteroid now serves gamers in the United States, United Kingdom, and countries across the European Union. It operates through data center operations located in six U.S. states, including Microsoft’s home state of Washington, as well as in the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine, and Serbia.
This partnership builds on Microsoft's ongoing support for Ukraine's software ecosystem, including adding support for the Ukrainian language for the Xbox console dashboard, PC and mobile apps. In spring 2023, Microsoft will launch PC Game Pass in Ukraine.
Boosteroid provides a high-end remote gaming desktop where games are rendered and streamed back to the user device over the internet. For this, Boosteroid uses custom hardware designed together with leading technology companies like ASUS and Intel. Its GPU-infrastructure is located across Europe in 12 data centers and across the USA in 6 data centers, allowing Boosteroid to deliver low-latency cloud gaming to millions of users globally.
In conclusion, the partnership between Microsoft and Boosteroid will enable gamers across the globe to access Xbox PC games on Boosteroid's cloud gaming platform. This partnership will bring more accessibility to popular franchises like "Call of Duty" and make them available to millions of additional players. The partnership also highlights Microsoft's support for Ukraine's software ecosystem and its continued investment in the country's economic recovery.
