Microsoft and Sony Reach Call of Duty Deal

Microsoft’s $75 billion bid for Activision Blizzard made headway last week as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Federal Trade Commission’s request to block the acquisition of the company.

The Acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft has long seen scrutiny since the deal was originally announced back in 2022. The FTC, and other regulatory agencies, see the acquisition as a threat to competition as the deal would allow Microsoft to make extremely popular video games such as Call of Duty an exclusive Xbox title.

To counter this argument Microsoft has made deals with various video game companies to ensure that Call of Duty will remain on consoles such as the Nintendo Switch for a minimum of 10 years. Sony has been reluctant to accept such an offering as the company has led the opposition to the merger.

On Friday, however, Sony gave in and agreed to sign the 10-year agreement with Microsoft furthering Microsoft’s efforts to acquire Activision.

The saga is not over, however. While Microsoft has likely won over regulators throughout the United States the company must still contend with those throughout the U.K. that still hold opposition to the merger.

Source: CNBC