On one hand, Sony is saying the deal means Xbox will gain exclusivity over Call of Duty. On the other hand, Microsoft claims it’s open to keeping Call of Duty on the PlayStation platform (and even the Nintendo Switch) for the long haul.
Now, Microsoft just doubled down on its intention to convince everyone that its chief rival will not lose its access to Call of Duty anytime soon. According to a recent report by The New York Times, Microsoft offered Sony a 10-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. We can only presume this is after Microsoft Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer, said the company is open to making a “longer-term commitment that Sony would be comfortable with”. 10 years is longer than the “inadequate” offer that Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and president, Jim Ryan, claimed that Microsoft gave Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. It remains to be seen if Sony will be happy with this offer, but it’s a good start. Microsoft has spent the past few months arguing that the purchase is good for the video game industry. Spencer has reiterated numerous times that the goal is to keep Call of Duty on as many platforms as possible for a long time, including the PlayStation. But, you can’t blame concerns that the merger will undermine competition in the market. Keep in mind that Activision Blizzard is a company that owns more than just Call of Duty. If Microsoft owns this significant piece of the gaming market, what’s stopping the company from cutting off everything but Call of Duty from other platforms? Most likely, we’ll spend the next couple of months hearing more about what else Microsoft is willing to offer just for the deal to finalize and push through. The regulatory committees aren’t expected to finalize their decision until at least early 2023.
