Microsoft Signs 10-year Deal with Sony to Hold Call of Duty on PlayStation

Following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has entered into a legally binding deal with Sony to maintain the Call of Duty series on the Sony PlayStation platform, allaying regulators' fears about exclusivity. The agreement is for ten years.

With the arrangement, the business hopes to allay regulators' worries that the merger will make more Activision titles exclusive to Xbox, including the hugely popular shooting-game series.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had prior contended the arrangement would hurt shoppers, whether they played computer games on consoles or had memberships, on the grounds that Microsoft would have a motivator to close out rivals like Sony Gathering.

Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft gaming, made the announcement via Twitter, a microblogging platform.

On Twitter, Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer stated, "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."

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the agreement is for ten years. Last year, Microsoft and Nintendo Co. Ltd. entered into a similar 10-year agreement regarding the availability of Call of Duty. One of the largest gaming acquisitions ever made is Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard. Bloomberg reported that the Federal Trade Commission's attempt to halt the acquisition was rejected by an appeals court on Friday, clearing the way for the largest gaming deal ever to close.

The court's choice comes after a government judge decided for Microsoft before in the week, expressing that the FTC had not given adequate proof to demonstrate that the arrangement would disregard antitrust regulations. The FTC appealed the judge's decision on Wednesday, which Microsoft has stated it will contest.

The vitally remaining obstacle comes from the UK Contest and Markets Authority, which has consented to allow Microsoft a remarkable second opportunity to think of a cure subsequent to rejecting the consolidation in April on worries about the arrangement's effect on the cloud gaming market.