After months of fighting over who’s leading the gaming space, objections over a game-changing acquisition, and ongoing appeals, the fate of the Call of Duty franchise is now much clearer, at least for the next decade. Microsoft and Sony have officially signed a deal to keep the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation consoles for the next 10 years.
“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,” tweeted Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. “We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favourite games.”
While the initial statement did not state the duration, further confirmation given by Microsoft to The Verge revealed that the deal will be for a decade, and only covers Call of Duty.
“From Day One of this acquisition, we’ve been committed to addressing the concerns of regulators, platform and game developers, and consumers. 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,” added Microsoft President, Brad Smith.
The new deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles brings to an end a long-running fight between the two gaming giants, with Sony hoping to stop Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. This new agreement effectively ends the battle, and the US$68.7 billion deal is expected to proceed ahead, even if there is still opposition from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority.
Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and part-time Steam Sale victim. He has a thing for Batman and awesome statues, and running out of space for both. Send help.
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