In a shocking turn of events, Microsoft announced on Thursday that they will partner up with rival gaming conglomerate Sony in order to push the future of cloud gaming.
This move is particularly surprising on Sony’s part, as the Japanese company usually favors exclusivity against other platforms.
The deal will see both companies “explore joint development of future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure to support their respective game and content-streaming services” and Sony will also use Azure for its game and content streaming services.
The partnership likely means Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 5 console will have a game streaming service running on Microsoft Azure. Of course, the dream solution for gamers would be having both Xbox and PlayStation sharing cross-play, but with both companies owning their own streaming services (Playstation Now and Project xCloud) that still seems unlikely.
Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony’s President and CEO, believes that the joint venture will “contribute greatly to the advancement of interactive content” while Microsoft CEO Satya Madella hopes that their collaboration build on a “history of innovation” in the world of entertainment and technology.
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