PlayStation users can breathe a sigh of relief.
Xbox CEO Phil Spencer confirmed that Microsoft has finally reached an agreement with Sony that will guarantee the release of new Call of Duty games on PlayStation consoles. The terms of this agreement are not specified.
Head of Xbox on his twitter named this is a “binding agreement”, but it’s not yet clear if it counts as the equivalent of the 10-year deals that Microsoft previously promised to Nintendo and various cloud gaming services.
The agreement ended a bitter “battle” between the companies that had been fought both privately and publicly over the past year after Microsoft announced its purchase of Activision Blizzard in January 2022.
Sony has been openly opposed to the Microsoft-Activision deal for a long time, fearing the potential exclusivity of new Call of Duty titles for the Xbox. Later, however, information appeared that Sony’s management was not worried about games, but simply did not want to allow a merger.
Microsoft has repeatedly stated in its regulatory litigation that it does not plan to remove Call of Duty from PlayStation consoles, as it considers such a decision “unreasonable from a business point of view.”
Purchase of Microsoft Activision Blizzard: the latest information
- In May this year, the European Commission approved a deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. The investigation showed that this acquisition will not harm competition in the distribution of games and the development of cloud gaming services.
- Now practically nothing prevents the merger of Microsoft and Activision. Deadline of the deal is July 18, 2023.
- However, the issue with the British regulator has not yet been resolved. He continues to insist that the merger will hurt competition in cloud gaming.
- Recall that a $68.7 billion deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard was announced in January 2022.
