Microsoft and Sony have reached an agreement to ensure the continued landing of the "Call of Duty" series games on the PlayStation platform.
Microsoft has announced that it has reached a binding agreement to retain the franchise rights for the "Call of Duty" series on the Sony PlayStation platform, as its acquisition of Activision Blizzard (ATVI, US) appears to be nearing completion.
According to Zhītōng Finance and Economics APP, Microsoft (MSFT.US) has stated that it has reached a binding agreement as its acquisition plan for Activision Blizzard (ATVI.US) seems to be nearing completion. This agreement ensures the franchise rights for the "Call of Duty" game series will be retained on the Sony (SONY.US) PlayStation platform.
The software giant announced on Sunday that it has reached a deal with Sony Group to address regulatory concerns about the merger potentially resulting in more games, such as the popular shooting game series, becoming exclusive to Xbox.
Phil Spencer, Head of Gaming at Microsoft, tweeted, "We're pleased to announce that Microsoft and Sony have signed a binding agreement to ensure that 'Call of Duty' will continue to be released on the PlayStation platform after the acquisition of Activision Blizzard." According to a Microsoft spokesperson, the agreement is valid for 10 years. Meanwhile, last year, Microsoft entered into a 10-year partnership agreement for "Call of Duty" with Nintendo (NTDOY.US).
On Friday, an appeals court rejected the request from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to block the acquisition, paving the way for the completion of the largest-ever gaming deal.
The remaining major obstacle now comes from the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK. The authority rejected the merger in April due to concerns about its impact on the cloud gaming market but agreed to give Microsoft an unprecedented second chance to propose remedies. It has been reported that Microsoft has proposed selling its stake in the cloud gaming market in the UK.