Microsoft signed an agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said in a statement. cheep on Sunday.
A deal to keep Call of Duty on the Playstation could further ease concerns about the acquisition’s impact on competition.
Speaking about the deal, Microsoft Chairman Brad Smith said in a cheep“Even after we cross the finish line for the approval of this agreement, we will remain focused on ensuring that Call of Duty remains available on more platforms and to more consumers than ever before.”
The FTC had argued that the settlement would hurt consumers whether they play video games on consoles or have subscriptions because Microsoft would have an incentive to exclude rivals like Sony Group.
To address the FTC’s concerns, Microsoft had previously agreed to license Call of Duty to rivals, including a 10-year deal with Nintendo, subject to the merger closing.
Microsoft initially announced Activision’s offer in January 2022. The internet giant wanted to take on rivals Tencent and Sony with the acquisition. Earlier, both companies signed 10-year license agreements that will bring Call of Duty to their gaming platform if Activision’s deal is approved. However, Microsoft has now decided to let Call of Duty stay on PlayStation. In fact, the Spanish Nware has also signed a 10-year contract to bring Xbox and Activision Blizzard games to the Spanish cloud gaming platform.
It should be noted that Brazil, Chile, Serbia and Saudi Arabia have already given their unconditional approval to the deal.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
