Microsoft makes more Call of Duty concessions

A new report states that Microsoft offered Sony the opportunity to put Call of Duty on its own subscription service if a huge acquisition goes ahead

Microsoft has reportedly offered Sony the option to put Call of Duty games on its PlayStation Plus subscription service if its acquisition of Activision Blizzard goes ahead.

New reporting from Bloomberg says that Microsoft offered the option as part of its 10-year Call of Duty deal to Sony, which would ensure that the popular series is available on PlayStation consoles for at least the next decade.

Sony has previously suggested that Call of Duty is too big of a franchise to be owned by major console manufacturer Microsoft, as it would give the company an incentive to prevent the release of the series on other platforms.

Part of that argument has been that, even if Call of Duty was available on PlayStation consoles, Microsoft would still have an advantage, because the series would be available on its own subscription service, Game Pass. This reported new offer from Microsoft appears to be an attempt to assuage Sony’s concerns by allowing Sony to host the game on its subscription service too.

Activision Blizzard isn’t just about Call of Duty, it also develops and publishes Diablo, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch. Picture: Activision Blizzard

Microsoft has been attempting to show that this wouldn’t be the case, as it recently announced it would bring Call of Duty to Nintendo should the acquisition be approved. Microsoft said it had reached a deal with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty games to Nintendo consoles for at least ten years, as well as committing to releasing the games on Valve’s PC storefront Steam for the same amount of time.

It comes as Microsoft attempts to secure a $100 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, the major publisher and developer behind titles such as Call of Duty, Diablo, Overwatch, and many more. The deal is under intense scrutiny from regulatory bodies across the globe, with competition regulators looking to ensure it doesn’t negatively impact competition in the games space.

The investigation from regulators has resulted in a number of documents being made public, with some having very interesting arguments laid out by both Microsoft and Sony.

If successful, Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard would be the biggest in video game history by a wide margin. Photo: Ina FASSBENDER / AFP

In a recently released document submitted to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Microsoft said that Sony’s games are better than its own. The company said that Sony had five times as many exclusive titles on its consoles, “many of which are better quality” than its own.

If successful, the deal is expected to close by mid-2023.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.