In the unfolding saga that is PlayStation vs Xbox over the latter’s bid to acquire Activision-Blizzard and by proxy the mammoth Call of Duty franchise, we’ve seen Microsoft offering up deal after deal to Sony (as well as Nintendo and Steam) to keep the franchise on PlayStation consoles for a promised period of time.
Last we’d heard, Microsoft was attempting to appease US/EU regulators scrutinising the Activision-Blizzard takeover bid by offering to keep the Call of Duty games on PlayStation platforms for a guaranteed 10 years.
Microsoft's offer to make Call of Duty available on PlayStation includes access to Sony's subscription plan https://t.co/Kj3II74jI0
— Bloomberg (@business) December 12, 2022
In a just-published report (paywalled but VGC has the crucial details here), Bloomberg claims that the proposed deal also includes an offer that would allow Sony to include the Call of Duty titles in its PlayStation Plus Essential/Extra/Deluxe subscription tiers. This would presumably take some of the edge off of Sony’s and regulator’s arguments against the deal, which have repeatedly cited Microsoft’s ability to roll the franchise into its popular Game Pass subscription service following the acquisition as an unfair competitive advantage.
Bloomberg reports that Sony has yet to accept the offer and that neither company has responded to requests for further comment.
