In a recent interview with New York TimesOn November 11, Microsoft Xbox confirmed that it has offered Sony a 10-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Microsoft has offered to buy Activision Blizzard for a whopping $68.7 Million, and a 16-nation regulatory committee is overlooking this pending sale of Activision.
However, Sony did not comment on the offer to continue the Call of Duty launch on the Play Station. Over the last few years, Xbox has taken some big risks involving the acquisition of ZeniMax Media. It makes sense for Xbox to come after it, as Activision has a firm dominance in the gaming market with some of the most beloved titles like Candy Crush and Call of Duty.
Playstation CEO Jim Ryan described this deal as inadequate on many levels and wants equal access to future Call of Duty games. said “Microsoft is a tech giant with a long history of dominating industries, and if this deal continues, it’s likely that the options games have today will disappear.”
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Details About Microsoft and Activision Agreement
Microsoft plans to treat Call of Duty similar to Minecraft, and Sony doubts it. Microsoft accused Sony of misleading regulators about the value and viability of the Call of Duty series. For several years now, PlayStation users have had access to a variety of exclusive benefits, including exclusive skins, early access and in-game bonuses in Call of Duty games. This purchase jeopardizes that proposition, as Xbox will likely try to lock COD users onto their platform instead.
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Here is a short list of concessions Microsoft has accepted in case regulators allow it to acquire Activision:
- Honoring past development agreements Activision has made
- Offering to keep CoD on PlayStation for three years beyond these deals
- Staying neutral in union negotiations at Activision and Blizzard
- Will pay Activision $3 billion if the acquisition fails
- Guaranteed to continue producing CoD games on PlayStation for at least 10 years
What Sony fears is that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision will give gamers more choice, which will make the Xbox much more competitive. Sony may have implied that they want this Microsoft and Activision deal blocked.
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