Regulators have raised concerns that Microsoft could block the hit Call of Duty franchise from being released on rivals’ games consoles. Microsoft said it has offered Sony a 10-year contract for Call of Duty to be released on the PlayStation on the identical day it involves the Xbox. The U.S. giant is attempting to assuage regulators’ and competitors’ fears.
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Microsoft’s head of gaming Phil Spencer said late Tuesday that the corporate has “entered right into a 10-year commitment” to bring hit game Call of Duty to Nintendo following the closure of the Activision Blizzard acquisition, because the U.S. tech giants look to assuage regulators and rivals’ antitrust fears.
Nintendo was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.
It’s unclear whether this commitment is legally binding, or whether Nintendo has signed it in any way.
“Microsoft and Nintendo have entered right into a 10-year commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo following the merger of Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King,” A Microsoft spokesperson said. “Each Xbox and Nintendo are committed to helping bring more games to more people – nonetheless they decide to play.”
Spencer also said that Microsoft has “committed” to supply Call of Duty on game distribution platform Steam concurrently to Xbox after the close of the deal.
The announcements come after Microsoft President Brad Smith said on Monday that the corporate has offered Sony a 10-year contract to make each recent release of Call of Duty available on Sony’s PlayStation console similtaneously the Xbox.
Sony declined to comment.
Microsoft’s blitz of commitments around Call of Duty, one of the vital popular gaming franchises in history, comes as regulators and rivals amp up scrutiny of the corporate’s $69 billion takeover of Activision which was proposed in January. Activision is the developer for Call of Duty.
European Union and U.K. regulators have opened antitrust probes into the merger to have a look at whether the deal would hurt competition. The EU is worried Microsoft may block access to games resembling Call of Duty for rivals.
Microsoft has looked to ease fears this week through its commitments around Call of Duty. The Redmond-headquartered company argues the Activision takeover can be good for gamers and increase competition within the industry.
Microsoft has been trying to meet up with rival Sony and the success of its PlayStation 5 console. One among Microsoft’s biggest issues is the shortage of first-party games which Sony has been investing in heavily. A robust list of games is useful for console sales.
The corporate can be trying to bolster its cloud gaming offering — where users can effectively stream games without having to buy them individually. Completion of the Activision deal would help Microsoft increase its catalogue of games for the service.
