Another compromise has cropped up from Microsoft, as the company reportedly has proffered Sony the option to put Call of Duty on PlayStation Plus. This would be one of the latest concessions from the Xbox maker regarding the popular FPS franchise as part of its bid to acquire Activision Blizzard.
Bloomberg (via VideoGameChronicle) states that Sony hasn’t accepted the offer. The company behind PS4 and PS5 is still making a case against the acquisition, arguing Microsoft could make Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox.
The Federal Trade Commission is currently suing Microsoft over its attempted merger with Activision Blizzard. The suit, filed December 8, claims the deal would suppress competition in the video games industry.
Microsoft has attempted to counter anti-competitive accusations by providing various deals with Call of Duty in particular. For instance, the Xbox maker has reportedly offered a 10-year deal to Sony that keeps the FPS franchise on PlayStation. That was followed up by Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, stating on Twitter that his company has “entered into a 10-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to [Nintendo] following the merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King.”
The whole saga started in January when Microsoft officially announced its acquisition of Activision Blizzard for nearly $70 billion. That’s not only the largest merger in Microsoft’s history, but also the video game industry overall. That is, if the merger goes through.
