Microsoft has confirmed that its newly-signedCall of Dutydeal with Sony will last for at least 10 years. In an attempt to convince regulators to approve its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has been signing commitments to bring Activision-published games to more platforms. This includes bringing Activision games to competing cloud gaming platforms, as well as bringingCall of Dutyto rival consoles.Microsoft previously signed an agreement with Nintendo tobringCall of Dutyto the Nintendo Switch, and it offered a similar deal to Sony. Sony refused to sign the agreement in hopes that regulators would block Microsoft’s attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard. While there have certainly been some roadblocks, Microsoft now has the go-ahead to close its Activision Blizzard acquisition, bringing all the company’s games under its umbrella.RELATED:Sony Finally Signs Call of Duty Deal with MicrosoftWhileSony did not sign the previous deal to keepCall of Dutyon PlayStationfor at least 10 years after the acquisition, it has since signed. Specifics as to what the deal entailed are not available publicly, but Microsoft did confirm the 10-year detail to The Verge’s Tom Warren. Technically, this meansCall of Dutycould become Xbox exclusive in a decade, though it’s hard to see that happening.
Call of Dutyis such a massive blockbuster hitthat it wouldn’t make much financial sense to keep it off PlayStation consoles, even after the 10-year deal is up. It seems likely that it will be treated more likeMinecraft, which Microsoft owns but still releases on its competitors' platforms. Then again, the gaming landscape could look completely different 10 years from now, so who’s to say what will happen toCall of Dutyafter the 10 years is up.
It’s likely that this deal meansCall of Dutygames are guaranteed for the next-generation PlayStation console, the PlayStation 6. The court battles over Microsoft’s attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard revealed that thenext-generation of consoles is likely to launch in 2028, which is well within the 10-year timeframe. However, there is one potential issue when it comes to bringingCall of Dutyto PS6 when the time comes.
Sony has said that it may have towithhold PlayStation 6 development kits from Activision Blizzardafter the Microsoft deal goes through. The logic behind this is that it would effectively be giving its competitor access to inside information about its new console. However, it may be worth the risk to ensure thatCall of Dutycomes to the next PlayStation console on the same day as whatever the next Xbox ends up being called.
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