Following a bitter, months-long feud over the company’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft and Sony have signed a deal to keep the multi-billion dollar Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation consoles. To be precise it has been 18 months since the acquisition hasn’t closed as several competition regulators have been concerned about the consequences on the gaming market.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer tweeted Sunday morning: “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.”
The announcement comes after Microsoft on Friday defeated a last-ditch effort by the US Federal Trade Commission to scuttle the company’s $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to grant the regulator an emergency stay of a ruling that allows the deal to proceed in the US.
The United Kingdom’s Markets and Competition Authority (CMA) is the last remaining regulator of note opposed to the purchase, but the watchdog and Microsoft recently agreed to put their legal battle over the deal on hold and negotiate a compromise.
Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith tweeted in response to Spencer’s post:
In an effort to secure approval from regulators, including the FTC and CMA. In February, Microsoft signed a 10-year deal with Nintendo to bring Xbox games to Nintendo consoles, including Call of Duty games. It also came to terms with cloud gaming providers like NVIDIA.
Sony has finally agreed to sign a deal with Microsoft to bring some of Microsoft’s games to Sony consoles. Unlike the other agreements with Nintendo and cloud gaming services, Microsoft only mentions Call of Duty titles. And it’s confirmed that with Microsoft that it is a 10-year commitment.
