The PlayStation exclusivity deal for Call of Duty between Sony and Activision is almost over. This could help explain why Sony is trying so desperately to block the acquisition deal between Microsoft and Activision. Although there could be alternate avenues to still have Call of Duty on PlayStation, Sony might not be ready to give up their reign over the franchise.
A lot has been happening around Microsoft's attempt to buy Activision, and it appears the plot is only thickening further. This week Microsoft signed a 10-year deal with both Nintendo and Nvidia to bring Call of Duty to a broader audience and has offered the very same deal to Sony. However, Sony doesn't seem to want to accept it. The deal means Call of Duty is released on all platforms that signed the deal on the same day with the same features, which Microsoft hopes will help appease the various countries currently attempting to block the acquisition. Also, this week Microsoft and other interested parties will speak in front of the European Commission for or against the purchase of Activision.
Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, spoke with CNBC about all the recent updates around the Activision deal. During this interview, Smith mentioned according to his knowledge, PlayStation's Call of Duty deal with Activision is ending in 2024. When asked about the agreement Microsoft offered Sony, he said, "I think everybody who's looked at this would say it's a better deal for Sony than the one they have right now with Activision Blizzard that will expire next year." Smith dropped this piece of information into his answer in a seemingly casual way, but if his claim is true, then that means a ticking time bomb for Sony. The consequence could be if Sony doesn't accept Microsoft's offer and the acquisition goes through, then PlayStation could lose out massively and would likely no longer have a chunk of its audience.
Thanks to the contracts with Nintendo and Nvidia, according to Smith, this will make Call of Duty available to "150 million more people" all over the world. Based on that to him, it would seem strange if the European Commission or other countries like the US or the UK would want to block the deal. Because if competition regulators keep accessibility for players in mind, then they should find little fault with the agreements that have been made.
This week will hold a lot more in terms of development once the European Commission makes a decision based on the latest hearing. Whether Sony manages to block the Activision purchase or will be forced to join others in a similar 10-year deal will be interesting to see. But Microsoft still has many more hoops to jump through until Activision's acquisition can be finalized.
Source: Insider Gaming
