Microsoft and Sony have finally reached an agreement to keep call of duty on PlayStation once the Activision Blizzard merger is complete. Surprise deal comes later battle month between the two companies and is an indication that an acquisition is almost inevitable.
“We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and PlayStation have entered into a binding agreement to keep call of duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard,” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer tweeted July 16. “We look forward to a future where players globally have more options to play games. their favorite.”
It’s unclear what the terms of that deal are and if they’re similar to proposals Microsoft recently signed with Nintendo and other cloud gaming providers. Previously, Sony paid Activision to receive special benefits related to call of duty, which includes timed exclusive content and special marketing rights. It was also revealed during a recent battle in court over the deal that Activision leveraged its partnership with Sony to negotiate better commission rates for the Xbox franchise.
Read more: Sony will not share PS6 information with call of duty Developer if owned by Microsoft
Sony has strongly opposed Microsoft’s plan to buy the publisher in legal proceedings across Europe, the UK and the US. After the Federal Trade Commission’s recent legal failure in an attempt to block the dealhowever, the PlayStation 5 maker seems to have decided it’s time to settle. In the past, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan has said that his only concern is blocking the deal.
Sony’s current deal with Activision won’t expire until 2025, and the new deal appears to be in effect for at least the rest of the PS5’s lifecycle. Microosft has stated that making the series exclusive is not financially beneficial as the games generate billions of dollars in revenue on the competing platform.
Microsoft declined to comment. Sony did not immediately respond.
