Microsoft And Sony Sign Deal To Keep Call Of Duty On PlayStation

Microsoft and Sony have signed a breakthrough deal for Call of Duty games to stay on PlayStation. This is according to Xbox chief Phil Spencer, who spoke about the agreement on Twitter. With Activision-Blizzard to be acquired and integrated into Microsoft, there were concerns from multiple parties about the availability of the Call of Duty franchise on rival platforms.

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) July 16, 2023

The deal will be a 10-year agreement to keep Call of Duty on the PlayStation platform, refraining from making the franchise an Xbox exclusive, similar to other 10-year deals the company has made. This will allow Call of Duty games to be on Playstation up to 2033, well into the next generation of consoles.

This is huge, in prior legal fights between Microsoft and Sony over the Activision-Blizzard deal, Sony had said they would not agree to any deal for Call of Duty, and that they would rather see the deal fall apart than allow any concession for COD. 

Microsoft Has been trying for the past few months to get Sony to agree to a 10-15 year deal to allow Call of Duty games on Playstation, although Sony has often denied this request. With the deal closing as soon as Monday, it seems like Sony had no other choice but to concede and accept that the deal will close, and that Activison-Blizzard will soon be a part of Microsoft. 

Microsoft has made similar offers and concessions, offering 10-year Call of Duty deals to other platforms such as Nvidia’s GeForce Now and Nintendo Switch. Microsoft had to show commitment to get the Call of Duty franchise on other platforms to alleviate antitrust concerns from regulators who scrutinized the deal.

The FTC has lost its appeal against Microsoft in the US, allowing the deal to move forward. Negotiations are still underway in the UK with the CMA, and the deal could close as soon as Tuesday the 18th, the deadline for the deal if all goes well for all parties. Activision-Blizzard could soon become a part of Microsoft.