Microsoft Offers Sony A 10-Year Licensing Agreement For The Call Of Duty Franchise

Over the past few months, the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard merger has come under intense scrutiny from various government agencies across the world for its potential effect on the video game market, especially since Sony might end up losing access to Activision Blizzard titles on the PlayStation. Sony has also argued that there won’t be anything to stop Microsoft from making games PC and Xbox-exclusive once the deal pushes through, and is fighting tooth and nail to retain access to the Call of Duty franchise.

While Microsoft has insisted time and again that they won’t be pulling Call of Duty games from the PlayStation until 2027 at the earliest, Sony countered that it won’t be enough time for them to release a new console to at least give them a fighting chance in the market.

To appease both Sony and the regulatory bodies looking into the merger, Microsoft has decided to offer Sony a 10-year licensing deal for the franchise. According to Reuters, Microsoft will be filing the offer before the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can file its objection to the merger in January which could shorten the whole regulatory process concerning the deal. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is also planning to file an antitrust complaint of their own in the coming days to try and block the deal.

“Ultimately, such a move could secure an early clearance with the European Commission and subsequently be used by the parties before other antitrust agencies,” a lawyer told Reuters. “However, it remains to be seen whether the active complainants will validate such concessions (in particular in terms of scope) and if behavioural remedies will also be accepted by the CMA and the FTC.”