Microsoft finally agree Call of Duty deal with Sony
The seemingly ending saga of Microsoft’s pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard looks to be finally coming to an end following Micorostf’s court victory over the FTC’s attempted block of the takeover.
Recently, the US market regulator attempted to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a move that has now been foiled. So it now just means that it’s up to the UK’s CMA to resolve its issue with the takeover after raising concerns over Microsoft’s stronghold with cloud gaming technology. Now that one deck has folded, the other will follow.
In the meantime, Xbox chief Phil Spencer has announced that Microsoft has agreed on a deal with Sony to ensure that the Call of Duty series remains on PlayStation once the takeover is complete.
It is believed that a 10-year deal was previously offered, but then rejected by Sony. However, a similar deal was accepted by Nintendo. At the time of writing, the contract details between Sony and Microsoft remain undisclosed.
“We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and @PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard,” tweeted Spencer. “We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favourite games.”
Hopefully, details on the contract length will be revealed in the near future. At some point, we know that the Call of Duty series will eventually come to Xbox Game Pass, even as late as 2025 due to a previously existing deal. Personally, I’m hoping that this recent agreement not only includes the CoD series coming to PS Plus but also the series coming to XGP much sooner. As they say, watch this space.
Featured Image Credit: Activision Blizzard