Sony and Microsoft Sign Binding Agreement to Keep Call of Duty on PlayStation Consoles

Sony and Microsoft have signed a Call of Duty agreement. Microsoft will continue to release Call of Duty games on PlayStation consoles after the tech giant took over Activision. Microsoft previously said it would continue to release CoD on other platforms.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer reported on Sunday that Microsoft and Sony have signed a “binding agreement” to keep Call of Duty on the PlayStation following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. It is not clear how long that agreement will last. Microsoft previously signed ten-year agreements with Nintendo and various cloud gaming services, among others.

The agreement ends a battle between the two companies. Sony long resisted the Activision acquisition by Microsoft. The latter promised several times in the past that CoD would not be released on other platforms, including the PlayStation. Sony has so far refused to sign an agreement with Microsoft to continue releasing Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles. The PlayStation maker wanted to stop the takeover.

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.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) 16 July 2023

Sony said during competition investigations and lawsuits that Sony feared Call of Duty will become an Xbox exclusive. Sony also expressed its fear that Microsoft may deliberately bug the PlayStation version of Call of Duty. PlayStation boss Jim Ryan previously wrote in an internal email that he was not afraid that CoD will become an Xbox exclusive. This was apparent from documents released in a lawsuit surrounding the intended takeover.

The Activision acquisition by Microsoft was under pressure for a long time, but it is increasingly likely that the deal can go through. The US Federal Trade Commission tried to block the takeover through a preliminary injunction while his own investigation is still ongoing, but lost a lawsuit over it. The FTC has appealed that ruling.

The British CMA, which previously blocked the takeover, has also been open to new concessions since the conclusion of that lawsuit. The CMA may conduct a new investigation into the acquisition. The regulator had a deadline of July 18 to make a final ruling, but recently decided to postpone it to August 28. That follows reports that Microsoft plans to make new concessions to the UK. For example, the company could sell its cloud gaming rights within that country.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II

2023-07-16 14:32:37
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