Microsoft guarantees that Sony has had sufficient time to develop its own Call of Duty franchise after 10 years – INDIAN

Sony is trying at all costs to stop Microsoft’s nearly $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. PlayStation’s owner is demanding from regulators that Call of Duty, along with its associated development teams, be sold separately to another company. If that doesn’t happen, Sony wants US, UK and European authorities to disapprove of the major publisher’s association with Xbox.

Microsoft is gradually fighting back, explaining to officials how the video game world works, and gradually signing other companies contracts that guarantee Call of Duty for 10 years with the same content, quality and the same day on different platforms and services. Among other things, Microsoft signed a contract with Nvidia to make CoD available in the cloud service GeForce Now, and with Nintendo, so that the popular first-person shooter will also appear on the Switch. Microsoft also offered the same contract to Sony, even wants to continue using the advantages of the DualSense controller on the PS5. But Sony refused to sign such a contract.

“I don’t want a new Call of Duty contract. I just want to block your fusion,” should have been announced by Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment on 2/21/2023, according to Activision Blizzard CFO Lulu Cheng Meservey.

Microsoft believes that ten years is long enough for Sony, as a leading publisher and leading console platform, to develop alternatives to Call of Duty. The technological giant and owner of the Windows operating system reminds that the ten-year period will extend into the next generation and older games will be playable for much longer thanks to console lifecycles and backwards compatibility.

Sony, on the other hand, claims that it is impossible for it to replace Call of Duty if Microsoft decides to have this important series exclusively for its ecosystem, i.e. the Xbox and Windows consoles, after the contract expires.

Sony describes Call of Duty as an essential game, a blockbuster and an AAA title that has no competition. This brand is the only one from the video game world to acquire licenses such as Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. According to Sony, Call of Duty is supposed to be so popular that it influences players when choosing a console, and its community is so entrenched that even if a competitor had the budget to develop a similar game, it would not be able to compete with it. Players recall that Sony once buried the popular first-person action Resistance from Insomniac Games and Killzone from Guerrilla Games, so it can now dig them up and boast of new installments.

Microsoft sees no reason to extend the ten-year contract. But he remains ready to discuss constructively with the CMA and other authorities. The CMA should issue a verdict on 4/26/2023. The European Union is due to decide a day earlier and a trial is pending at the US Federal Commission. Microsoft expects to complete its acquisition of Activision Blizzard in the summer.