Xbox Secures Exclusive Streaming Rights for GTA VI
According to sources, Microsoft has landed a deal for exclusive game streaming rights to Grand Theft Auto VI. At launch, only Xbox Cloud Gaming will be able to stream the title.
Xbox chief Asha Sharma told staff at an all-hands meeting that Microsoft is preparing to do something around Grand Theft Auto VI that no other platform holder is doing. Sources familiar with the company's plans say Xbox has reached a deal for exclusive streaming rights to the game.
In practice, only Xbox Cloud Gaming will be able to stream the game to players when it launches. How long the agreement will last is unclear. Rockstar Games has yet to announce a PC version, so the deal lets Xbox pitch its cloud service to PC players who would otherwise need an Xbox Series X/S or a PS5.
Changes to Xbox Cloud Gaming
The news comes about a month after Microsoft announced major changes to the service. Starting in November, the same month Grand Theft Auto VI is released, streaming time will be capped at 15 hours for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, 10 hours for Premium subscribers and five hours for Game Pass Essential.
Next month Microsoft will also open the service up through a pay-as-you-go option, rather than limiting it to Game Pass subscribers. The timing suits the game's release, allowing people without an Xbox, or who mostly play on a phone, to stream it by buying a bundle of hours.
Next-generation hardware
At the meeting, Sharma also said Project Helix, the next generation of Xbox hardware, will be a family of devices, and that Microsoft will partner with others on some of them. She first described Helix that way in an interview last month. Last year Microsoft and AMD announced a strategic multi-year partnership covering a portfolio of devices, including Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console.
