Sony and Microsoft have reached a “binding agreement” that will ensure that the Call of Duty franchise also releases on PlayStation consoles for the next ten years. This comes in light of the FTC court case which sought to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. However, the judge for the trial gave the go-ahead for the deal to proceed after being satisfied with Microsoft’s plans. While the deal has yet to officially close, this is good indication that it might proceed without too much of a hitch soon.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently revealed that it will honour the original agreement to keep the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation for the next ten years – a deal that Sony recently shook hands on. Once the Activision Blizzard deal is finalised, newly released Call of Duty games will appear on PS5 and beyond until 2033.
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Spencer’s announcement reads:
“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. We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.”
Call of Duty was the focus of Sony’s concerns regarding Xbox’s purchase of Activision Blizzard for months now, with Sony arguing that Microsoft’s ownership of the IP would lessen competition within the industry. This arrangement between Sony and Microsoft is a bittersweet one, though it’s also a conclusion that many expected to happen if the deal went through.
According to Axios journalist Stephen Totilo, the initial deal was for Microsoft to offer Sony only five years for the Call of Duty series but that was extended to ten years. However, Xbox leads suggest that the deal could be extended further after ten years too. We’ll just have to wait and see what this entails for Xbox platforms, which may have the added advantage of releasing new Call of Duty games day one on Xbox Game Pass to significantly bolster the subscription service and library.
Source: Phil Spencer
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