Microsoft has signed a deal with Sony to keep the Call of Duty video game series on Sony’s PlayStation console after Microsoft’s acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard. The news was confirmed by Phil Spencer, who heads up Microsoft’s Xbox division, in a tweet on Sunday.
“We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games,” Spencer said in the post.
Background
The announcement comes after Microsoft’s $69 billion buyout of Activision Blizzard, the maker of the best-selling Call of Duty lineup, which has been at the center of a corporate tug-of-war between Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation. As it tried to persuade regulators around the world to approve the deal, Microsoft pledged that Call of Duty would appear on other platforms for at least a decade, including Nintendo’s Switch console and Nvidia’s cloud gaming service. Until now, Sony hadn’t been officially part of that list.
A U.S. appeals court on Friday rejected a bid by federal regulators to block Microsoft’s acquisition. Microsoft struck the deal for Activision in January of 2022 in hopes of expanding its video game imprint beyond Xbox, which has less market share than longtime industry leader Sony and its PlayStation device.
Microsoft and Sony’s Agreement
The terms of the agreement between Microsoft and Sony have not been disclosed, but it ensures that Call of Duty will remain available on PlayStation consoles for the foreseeable future. Sony, which had previously expressed concerns about losing access to the “must-have” game title, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“From Day One of this acquisition, we’ve been committed to addressing the concerns of regulators, platform and game developers, and consumers,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a tweet. “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.”
Other Agreements Made by Microsoft
To relieve some of the regulatory pressure over the sale, Microsoft has also signed agreements with Nintendo and chipmaker Nvidia. The deals were made to ensure that Call of Duty would continue to be available on multiple platforms, and to avoid a potential $3 billion termination fee if the deal did not go through by Tuesday.
Implications of the Deal
The deal ensures that Call of Duty will remain a major game franchise on Sony’s PlayStation consoles, which have a larger market share than Microsoft’s Xbox. It also shows Microsoft’s commitment to expanding its video game imprint beyond its own console and onto other platforms.