Call of Duty on the PlayStation: Microsoft Allegedly Offered Sony a 10-Year Contract

According to reports, Microsoft made a 10-year offer to Sony to retain Call of Duty on the PlayStation. The future of Call of Duty on both the Xbox and PlayStation platforms has been a constant point of contention in the still-developing controversy surrounding Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of publisher Activision Blizzard.

Has Microsoft made a ten-year agreement with Sony?

Microsoft has reportedly stated that it offered Sony a 10-year agreement to retain Call of Duty on PlayStation as recently as 11 November as part of its highly publicised drive to keep the legendary game on PlayStation in the future, according to a recent story by The New York Times. According to reports, Sony has declined to comment on the alleged offer.

Why is Microsoft making this offer?

Microsoft is making this offer when attempting to win over international authorities so that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard may be finalised. Since the acquisition announcement, Microsoft has stated that the agreement will be advantageous to all players, game developers, and the gaming industry. The intention is to retain Call of Duty on PlayStation for the foreseeable future, CEO Phil Spencer has often said in public.

Since then, Sony has been fiercely opposed to the transaction. Sony CEO Jim Ryan has met with authorities in the EU and throughout the globe and stated that the purchase and Microsoft's ownership over IP like CoD would have "huge negative repercussions for players and the future of the gaming industry." Back in September, Ryan mocked a rumoured Microsoft pact that would only retain Call of Duty on PlayStation for three more years beyond the present agreement, which was said to expire with the release of the next two games in the leading franchise after Modern Warfare 2.

When will the agreement close?

It is anticipated that many of the choices made by the different regulatory bodies will be completed by at least the beginning of 2023. Leadership from Xbox and Activision Blizzard is hopeful that the agreement will finally close.