With Activision Blizzard and Bethesda becoming the latest publishers to pull support from Nvidia GeForce Now, disputes over commercial licensing could spell trouble for the cloud streaming platform.

Since its launch on February 4th, over a million users have signed up for Nvidia GeForce Now with a 90-day free trial. But as GeForce Now works toward paid subscriptions, its success has been coupled with content issues. Several major developers, most recently Activision Blizzard and Bethesda, have pulled their games. So why have publishers been leaving GeForce Now, and what does that mean for the future of the service?

Why are Publishers Pulling Support Now?

With GeForce Now’s launch early in February, it might seem odd that so many publishers are already pulling out. The reason, according to Nvidia chief Phil Eisler, is a “misunderstanding” between the company and publishers.

While GeForce Now officially launched in early 2020, it’s been in beta since 2013. Despite this time, it seems Nvidia failed to solidify launch plans. The original agreements only covered the beta period. Nvidia took this to include the three months after launch, when subscriptions are free under a trial period. But publishers maintain that Nvidia didn’t have permission to use their titles without a commercial agreement after the official launch date.

Activision Blizzard and Bethesda are just the latest publishers to leave GeForce Now. Rockstar, EA, Konami, Capcom, and Square Enix all participated in the beta but have yet to agree to commercial deals with the service. Even before these latest losses, games missing from GeForce Now included bestsellers like Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA, and Monster Hunter World.

Of course, many gamers are questioning whether contract issues are really the only reason for the pullout. After all, Nvidia and publishers had years to settle the issue of licensing while the service was in beta. Publishers have been accused by some fans of trying to increase their profits by charging PC gamers for multiple purchases of their products.

One of the biggest things that sets GeForce Now apart from Google Stadia, as well as Microsoft and Sony’s services, is ownership of the games. GeForce Now allows you to play games you have already purchased on other platforms. If you bought a game on Steam or Uplay you can stream it through Nvidia’s platform at no extra charge. You own the game, GeForce Now cloud networking just allows you to play your game on devices that might not otherwise support it. Stadia, however, requires you to purchase the game through Google even if you already own it elsewhere. Publishers could potentially make more money if gamers buy multiple copies of each game to play on different services.

What Does This Mean for Nvidia?

These latest losses are a definite blow to Nvidia’s service. Without Blizzard and Bethesda, GeForce Now can’t offer massively popular titles like the Call of Duty franchise, Overwatch, Skyrim, and the Fallout series. These represent some of the most popular franchises in gaming, including several major esports games.

While Nvidia has made statements that they are working with publishers to come to an agreement, it’s uncertain whether these games will return to the service. And with two months left in the free trial period for paid subscriptions, it’s possible that more publishers will pull their catalogues before then.

All this could have a huge impact on the GeForce Now price in the future. GeForce Now currently offers two subscription options - a limited free membership and a paid subscription at $4.99/month for one year. This Founders subscription is a limited time offer, though, and the GeForce Now price going forward has not been set. If publishers demand a higher rate from Nvidia, the company could be forced to charge their customers more for their memberships.

As more gamers turn to the cloud to handle the technical requirements of their favorite titles, GeForce Now and its competitors are offering two different versions of how game sales will work in the future. Can you buy games from a variety of markets, or will you be locked in to sales through the service itself? Ultimately, the answer might come down to which of the two cloud gaming services can offer the most games at the best price. If Nvidia can’t work with publishers their sales model might lose the cloud streaming wars by default.