New twist in the case that binds Microsoft to the takeover of Activision. While Microsoft offered Sony a 10-year deal for Call of Duty to continue to be released on PlayStation, the American firm would also have offered that the game might integrate PS Plus!
Call of Duty in PlayStation Plus if Microsoft buys Activision?
This might be a strong argument in favor of Microsoft, which is now more gentle than ever to have the takeover of Activision Blizzard accepted by the competition authorities. While FTC decided to block the takeover for now, Microsoft seems to have gone a hell of a lot further.
In mid-November, Microsoft said to itself open to commitments with Sony and had offered a 10-year contract for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation. This commitment had also been proposed to Nintendo at the same time as the release of the next games on Steam.
Today, and according to Bloomberg sources, we learn that the Microsoft offer would also concern the PlayStation Plus.
Microsoft has publicly stated that it has offered Sony a 10-year deal to make Call of Duty available on the Japanese company’s PlayStation console. The proposal, which Sony has not accepted, also includes the rights to sell the title on the PlayStation Plus service, which gives players access to a catalog of games for a monthly fee, according to a person familiar with the negotiations and who declined to be identified because discussions are confidential.
According to Bloomberg, the offer was made before the FTC vetoed the takeover. Everything therefore suggests that this is not enough progress for the American antitrust authorities.
Microsoft must seduce
In recent months, things have gotten a little complicated for Microsoft. Europe and the United Kingdom, two heavyweights among the competition authorities in the world, have begun new investigations to approve or not the takeover of Activision Blizzard King by Microsoft.
While the FTC has announced its blocking in the current state of affairs, Microsoft must therefore do better to avoid going towards lengthy legal proceedings whose outcome remains uncertain.
Sony has not yet accepted Microsoft’s offer, and it is still unclear whether the Japanese manufacturer will be satisfied. This one might quite simply want that the repurchase does not take place, regardless of the concessions offered by Microsoft.
By letting Sony make Call of Duty available in the PlayStation Plus, Microsoft would thus put Sony on an equal footing since the American’s intention is to release future games from the license in the Xbox Game Pass. On the other hand, we do not know the cost that such a measure would have for Sony, and there is no doubt that it would be quite substantial given the popularity of the license.
