Microsoft announced on December 7th has signed an agreement with Nintendo and Valvethe publisher of the Steam game distribution platform, to offer the license call of duty to the largest number, on as many media as possible. This obligation, for a period of 10 years, will take effect once the tech giant’s takeover of Activision Blizzard has been validated. A way to lift both to US regulatory authoritieswho plan to discuss this acquisition behind closed doors on December 8, but also to Sonystrongly against the merger.
The console war continues
Announced last January, Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard has since caused a stir among regulators around the world. While several of them, such as the European Commission or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States, are investigating the matter, Microsoft is looking to show its credentials.
The Redmond-based company’s latest attempt? Insure the competitors about his intentions. To achieve this, Phil Spencer, head of Xbox Game Studios, tweeted that ” Microsoft reached a 10-year deal to bring Call Of Duty to Nintendo’s platforms after the merger of the company and Activision Blizzard King “. He says to himself ” also happy to confirm that Microsoft committed to continuing to offer Call of Duty on Steam “.
Microsoft has made a 10-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to life @Nintendo after the merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King. Microsoft is committed to helping bring more games to more people – no matter how they choose to play. @ATVI_AB
—Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) December 7, 2022
Brad Smith, Vice President of Microsoft points out that “ our acquisition will allow more players to experience Call of Duty than ever before. It is good for competition and good for consumers. “. He points out that ” if one day Sony wants to discuss, we will be happy to enter into a 10-year agreement for PlayStation also “. A strong signal sent to Sony, hostile to this merger, is considered to be anti-competitive. Today, call of duty is one of the flagship games for the PlayStation.
In a column published by The Wall Street JournalBrad Smith explains that “ the biggest potential anti-competitive risk mentioned by Sony is that Microsoft stops offering Call Of Duty on PlayStation, but that would be economically irrational. A vital part of Activision Blizzard’s Call Of Duty revenue comes from sales of PlayStation games “. The discussion scheduled behind closed doors by the FTC next Thursday, could be decisive for the biggest buyout in video game history.