Nvidia’s GeForce Partner Program (GPP) drew the ire of gamers worldwide, with a number of consumers pledging to boycott OEMs who joined the program. Even then, OEMs are bowing down to Nvidia’s will and removing their gaming branding from AMD products. Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Asus is the latest in line to join Nvidia’s GPP and has now announced a separate brand for AMD cards called AREZ.
Along with the AREZ Strix, the company has also announced AREZ Expedition, AREZ Phoenix, and AREZ Dual, and graphics cards with the new branding have already started appearing on Asus’ website. AMD has also announced the launch of the AREZ-branded cards and has highlighted that it’s working with other OEM partners to launch new brands carrying the AMD Radeon name.
While AMD didn’t specifically call out Nvidia’s GPP for its anti-competitive nature, Herkelman mentioned that gamers shouldn’t be subjected to ‘gamer taxes’ or ‘anti-competitive conditions’ to enjoy a great gaming experience. He added:
It’s worth noting that Nvidia’s GPP is also facing opposition from the world’s largest PC manufacturers – HP and Dell – who have refused to join the program. The companies have called the program unethical, and likely illegal as it pertains to anti-competition laws in the US. We are trying to confirm with AMD about the possibility of other manufacturers also creating separate AMD brands, and will update you with any response we get from the company.
