By: Nick Gambino
The ongoing saga that is Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard – easily the biggest purchase in gaming history at $68 billion – is winding down as a judge ruled in their favor against the FTC just last week.
The biggest concern is that Microsoft, which owns Xbox, would edge out the competition. This was especially concerning because as part of the purchase they are acquiring huge video game titles like Call of Duty. The Xbox owner has assured everyone they have no intention of removing the popular first-person shooter from other console platforms. They made a series of good-faith gestures by forging 10-year deals with companies like Nintendo to keep COD on those systems.
The final holdout was Sony whose PlayStation console is Xbox’s biggest competitor, especially when it comes to first-person shooters like COD and Battlefield. Now with the recent Microsoft win against the FTC, Sony has given in and signed the 10-year deal to keep COD on PlayStation.
“We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard,” CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer, said in a tweet. “We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.”
We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and @PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 16, 2023
This tussle has been going on for over a year and a half since Microsoft first stated their intention to acquire the huge video game studio. Like the deals signed with other console providers, this only covers Call of Duty and not other Xbox titles, showing how valuable the game is.
One of the ways Microsoft scored the win in court is by showing not only that they wanted to keep COD on all of these consoles but wanted to expand accessibility to the game to other platforms. They made deals with Nvidia as well as various other cloud gaming services to bring a ton of Xbox titles to those platforms.
While there are a few more Is to dot and Ts to cross, this saga acquisition is finally coming to an end and Microsoft is now the proud owner of one of the biggest video game titles in history.
