With Microsoft’s attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the company would be in control of one of the largest game franchises in the World, Call of Duty. Knowing this, Sony was none-to-happy about the possibility of losing the series. Microsoft, however, says there would be nothing to worry about.
In a commentary piece post on the Wall Street Journal website, Microsoft’s president and vice chair, Brad Smith, said that platforms that have been used to receiving the titles, will continue to do so.
Smith, calling Sony the “loudest objector”, compared Sony to Blockbuster during the rise of Netflix.
“That’s why we’ve offered Sony a 10-year contract to make each new Call of Duty release available on PlayStation the same day it comes to Xbox,” he said. “We’re open to providing the same commitment to other platforms and making it legally enforceable by regulators in the US, UK, and European Union.”
Also in his piece, Smith said that the reported lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against Microsoft to stop the deal would be “a huge mistake”. He says that the company faces “huge challenges” in the industry due to its Xbox console lagging behind both the PlayStation and the Nintendo Switch. Touched on as well was Microsoft’s lack of a “meaningful presence” in the mobile game industry.
“Acquiring Activision Blizzard would enable Microsoft to compete against these companies through innovation that would benefit consumers,” Smith said while propping up the company’s Xbox Game Pass service. “Microsoft [wants to offer] consumers the option to subscribe to a cloud gaming service that lets them stream a variety of games on multiple devices for one reasonable fee.”
Currently, Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard hangs in the balance due to various investigations from antitrust authorities in the aforementioned locations. One option to gain approval of the deal is to have a settlement accepted that would prohibit the company from withholding popular titles both present and in the future.
After the success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, it makes sense as to why Sony wants to guarantee the game’s on its consoles for years to come. That said, it doesn’t look likely that Microsoft would keep Call of Duty off other revenue-generating platforms.
