Is the Call of Duty franchise living out its final years on PlayStation consoles? Xbox has worked out another offer in an attempt to reach a compromise that would be more comfortable for Sony and regulators.
While Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is the subject of deeper scrutiny in several territories, Xbox is looking to put a big thorn in its side: Call of Duty. The manufacturer recently formulated a better deal with PlayStation.
PlayStation could keep Call of Duty for…
In order for the Activision Blizzard acquisition to be validated, sixteen countries must approve it. A significant acquisition that is currently under scrutiny from the US, UK and the European Union. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Brazil have decided to give their consent without further investigation.
One of the hot topics at the heart of an Xbox vs PlayStation feud is Call of Duty. Basically, Microsoft had offered Sony to keep the franchise on its consoles for three more years, which the latter didn’t like. Corresponding New York Times, the Redmond company therefore returned on November 11 with another proposal: to release Call of Duty games on PlayStation machines for 10 years. Did you agree? Sony declined to comment on the information.
Towards a “lifetime” deal?
According to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, Call of Duty isn’t really an issue as mobile games like Candy Crush are the maker’s real target in this acquisition. An interview in which he also said:
I find the idea of writing a contract that says “forever” a little ridiculous, but I have no problem making a longer term commitment that would be fine with Sony and regulators.
We estimate that CoD will remain on PlayStation consoles for as long as players choose to play it on those platforms and it poses no competitive threat to Sony.
Could this 10-year deal fit PlayStation? It is not said. With the possible end of the annualization of Call of Duty and therefore a smaller number of CoD games, this duration could be considered insufficient. On the Windows Central side, journalist Jez Corden believes that Sony wants to prevent any takeover as a matter of principle. True or not, the soap opera is far from over. And meanwhile, Bobby Kotick is still sitting quietly in his office…