Bloomberg reports that the offer was made in a bid to win approval from the US Federal Trade Commission for the $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard.
According to the article, Microsoft has given the concession on top of a 10-year agreement to bring the series on PlayStation consoles. It has just lately signed a deal of the same kind with Nintendo.
According to Bloomberg’s sources, Sony still hasn’t accepted the offer and is actively opposing the merger that would give Microsoft control of the largest third party in the industry as well as one of its most lucrative franchises.
To counter claims that Microsoft would have an unfair competitive advantage by delivering the largest multi-platform console game for a tiny monthly price in its ecosystem, Microsoft may allow Sony to incorporate the series as part of its subscription offering.
It’s possible that after this purchase, Microsoft would have had exclusive rights to the massively popular Call of Duty shooting franchise.
Microsoft has promised that it will not keep the game locked for at least ten years after it announced its desire to acquire Activision Blizzard. Despite this, Sony has continued to cite the game as a major reason why authorities should reject the merger.
In a recent episode of the Second Request podcast, Microsoft’s Gaming CEO Phil Spencer claimed, “Sony is leading the dialogue around why the merger shouldn’t go through to safeguard its dominating position on console, so the thing they grasp onto is Call of Duty.”
The world’s largest console manufacturer is complaining about the one franchise we’ve committed to keeping in stock, he said. It’s a good bargain for customers because they’ll have more options and conveniences.
To “suppress competitors” to Microsoft’s Xbox consoles and its subscription content and cloud gaming business, the US regulator claimed on Thursday, explaining why it is trying to stop the $68.7 billion merger.
Details of Microsoft’s offer to keep the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation were revealed in an editorial published by Microsoft president Brad Smith in the Wall Street Journal last week.
