November 23, 2024

Playstation: Sony signs 10-year ‘Call of Duty’ deal with Microsoft: Why it is important

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As Microsoft moves a step closer to acquire Activision Blizzard in the most expensive gaming deal in history, Sony has signed an agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles. The announcement is significant because Sony has resisted the agreement for the longest time and was essentially the biggest roadblock in the $69 billion deal. A deal to keep Call of Duty on Playstation means that it could further ease concerns surrounding the acquisition’s impact on competition.
Xbox head Phil Spencer said that Microsoft is looking “forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favourite games.”
“We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and PlayStation (Sony) have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard,” Spencer announced in a tweet.
Meanwhile, Brad Smith, vice chairman and president of Microsoft said that the company will remain focussed in bringing Call of Duty to more platforms.
“From Day One of this acquisition, we’ve been committed to addressing the concerns of regulators, platform and game developers, and consumers. Even after we cross the finish line for this deal’s approval, we will remain focused on ensuring that Call of Duty remains available on more platforms and for more consumers than ever before,” Smith tweeted.
Microsoft Activision Blizzard merger
It is to be noted that the deal will materialise when Microsoft closes Activision Blizzard acquisition, which recently faced a legal battle between the tech giant and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC’s multiple attempts to temporarily block the deal failed after US courts denied its requests.
Meanwhile, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has also extended the deadline for the Microsoft-Activision probe by six weeks. This will give the watchdog more time to review proposals to resolve concerns on the deal after it paused a campaign to block the deal.
Microsoft’s 10-year deals
Microsoft has already signed 10-year deals with Nvidia, Nintendo, Ukraine’s Boosteroid, Japan’s Ubitus and Spain’s Nware to bring Call of Duty to their platforms should the deal go through.



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