Microsoft back in January announced that it was acquiring Activision Blizzard. While the deal is still under scrutiny by various authorities checking for anti-competitive practices, Microsoft seems to have offered Sony a 10-year contract for Call of Duty games.
According to an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal by a Microsoft executive, the company has offered Sony a 10-year contract to make each new Call of Duty game release available on the PlayStation the same day it releases on Xbox.
Sony gaming chief, Jim Ryan back in September revealed that Microsoft had offered Sony a three year contract keep the game series on PlayStation after the current agreement expires. Sony at the time refused the agreement saying that it was inadequate.
This new 10-year contract offer has been made to Sony, after Microsoft has been facing increased regulatory scrutiny over its $69 billion buyout for Activision Blizzard. Sony has been publically criticising the deal and has been calling for a regulatory veto.
EU regulators have stated that "the transaction may significantly reduce competition on the markets for the distribution of console and PC video games, including multigame subscription services and/or cloud game streaming services, and for PC operating systems." The deadline for the EU proceedings is in January, and Microsoft offering remedies for anti-competitive practices could shorten the process.
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The ongoing buyout deal has already been cleared out unconditionally in Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Serbia.
"The main supposed potential anticompetitive risk Sony raises is that Microsoft would stop making Call of Duty available on the PlayStation. But that would be economically irrational," Microsoft President Brad Smith said in the WSJ opinion piece.
In other news, Microsoft announced that it is raising prices of new Xbox games from $60 (approximately A$90; Rs 4,000) to $70 (approximately A$105; Rs 5,000), starting in 2023, according to a company spokesperson.
