After Activision Blizzard’s merger, Microsoft will not remove “Call of Duty” from Sony PlayStation and other platforms; 10-Year Agreement
Microsoft, which has been making headlines lately by purchasing renowned gaming business Activision Blizzard for $69 billion, has now officially reached an agreement to continue supporting the Call of Duty franchise on Sony’s PlayStation. Phil Spencer, the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, announced it on Twitter. An deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation may help to allay worries about how the purchase would affect competition.
The president of Microsoft, Brad Smith, said in a tweet about the transaction, “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.”
How Can A Contract Calm The Present Case?
Sony’s PlayStation series has regularly surpassed Microsoft’s Xbox line globally and has a greater market share. As part of the Activision Blizzard merger, Microsoft was anticipated to restrict the availability of well-known video games, such as the Call of Duty series, to the Xbox. Sony, on the other hand, makes a sizable sum of money from the Call of Duty series.
Updates on the Microsoft-Activision Deal:
The Federal Trade Commission had earlier asked the US court to reconsider its ruling in favor of Microsoft, but the court declined. The FTC had contended that the arrangement would harm consumers whether they subscribed to services or played video games on consoles because Microsoft would have an incentive to exclude competitors like Sony Group.
A new update claims that the US-based tech business has a 10-year arrangement with other console manufacturers, including Nvidia, Nintendo, Ukraine’s Boosteroid, Japan’s Ubitus, and Spain’s Nware, to continue to provide Call of Duty on their products even if the transaction is successful.
On the other hand, the UK Competition and Markets Authority has extended the deadline for the $69 billion acquisition to allow the regulator more time to review the ideas and address the problems.
