Microsoft, not so long ago, bought a little company called Activision. Shortly after, Sony was up in arms because it thought it might lose Call of Duty on the PlayStation platform. It’s an obvious thing to be stressed about. One of the largest gaming franchises on the planet being owned by your arch-rival is bound to cause a little executive sweat.
Microsoft has reportedly made Sony a second offer about keeping the twitch-shooter gaming juggernaut on the PlayStation. The initial offer, according to Sony, wasn’t adequate. Hopefully, this one is a little better.
The price of the Call of Duty
According to an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft has offered Call of Duty to Sony for no less than a decade. The article, by Microsoft head Brad Smith, says that the PlayStation 5 would have same-day launch access to the popular shooter for the duration of the contract.
The move probably comes in response to Sony being miffed about the initial three-year offer as well as increasing regulatory pressure on Microsoft. Its $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard is being scrutinised to ensure that the company isn’t engaging in anticompetitive behaviour.
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“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,” said Smith. He does have a point. Microsoft can quite easily use Sony’s platform to make large amounts of money simply by continuing to release the game there. But its decision to not offer an open-ended agreement suggests that there are some future plans for the military shooter that might not include Sony’s presence. Which is exactly what the Japanese company is afraid of.
Source: Reuters