Microsoft says it offered Sony 10-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation - Eurogamer.net

And accuses it of misleading regulators.

As aggravated authorities scrutiny of Microsoft's $69bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard continues, with galore regulatory bodies placing peculiar value connected the aboriginal of the Call of Duty franchise, Microsoft has told the New York Times it offered Sony a 10-year woody to support the bid connected PlayStation earlier this month.

In total, 16 regulatory bodies astir the satellite person launched investigations into Microsoft's projected acquisition of Activision Blizzard to measure its apt interaction connected competition. So far, lone Brazil and Saudi Arabia person approved the deal, with a fig of territories, including the European Commission and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, having announced much in-depth reviews of the matter.

In some those cases, Call of Duty's aboriginal has been highlighted arsenic a peculiar concern, with regulators raising fears the juggernaut franchise whitethorn beryllium leveraged by Microsoft to summation an unfair vantage implicit its competition.

As it attempts to assuage those concerns, Microsoft has been expanding forthright successful discussing its willingness to support Call of Duty connected Sony's platform. Reports successful September revealed the institution had initially pledged to support Call of Duty connected PlayStation for "at slightest respective much years" beyond Activision's existing woody - an statement PlayStation brag Jim Ryan would spell connected to telephone "inadequate connected galore levels".

In October, Xbox brag Phil Spencer publicly pledged to proceed releasing Call of Duty games connected Sony's consoles for "as agelong arsenic there's a PlayStation retired determination to vessel to". But now, talking to the New York Times, Microsoft has revealed the presumption of its latest connection to Sony successful much circumstantial detail, saying that connected 11th November it projected a ten-year woody to support Call of Duty connected PlayStation. Sony did not respond to the publication's petition for comment.

Sony has, of course, remained vigorously opposed to Microsoft's acquisition since its announcement successful January. In September, it said, "By giving Microsoft power of Activision games similar Call of Duty, this woody would person large antagonistic implications for gamers and the aboriginal of the gaming industry". Jim Ryan was besides reported to person flown to Brussels to conscionable EU regulators and entreaty Microsoft's woody successful person.

Speaking to the New York Times, Microsoft accused Sony of misleading regulators, saying the institution had "overstated the value of Call of Duty to its viability." In response, Jim Ryan told the work this was "not true", adding Microsoft was "a tech elephantine with a agelong past of dominating industries" and that "it is highly apt that the choices gamers person contiguous volition vanish if this woody goes ahead."

Assuming Microsoft is capable to wide each regulatory hurdles, its acquisition of Activision Blizzard is expected to implicit adjacent summer.