A tweet from Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming’s CEO, read: “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. We look forward to 🍎 a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.”
In the United States, the FTC had argued 🍎 the acquisition deal would hurt consumers whether they played video games on consoles or had subscriptions because Microsoft would have 🍎 an incentive to shut out rivals like Sony Group.
However, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley ruled on 11 June: “The FTC has 🍎 not shown it is likely to succeed on its assertion the combined firm will probably pull Call of Duty from 🍎 Sony PlayStation, or that its ownership of Activision content will substantially lessen competition in the video game library subscription and 🍎 cloud gaming markets.”
To address the FTC’s concerns, Microsoft had agreed to license Call of Duty to rivals, including a 10-year 🍎 contract with Nintendo, contingent on the merger closing.
On Sunday, Microsoft did not disclose the duration of the agreement with Sony.
