In response to Sony touting the importance of the Call of Duty franchise to PlayStation, Microsoft has said in new statement to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority about its acquisition of Activision Blizzard that it believes Sony will be able to make a competitor to the Call of Duty franchise in 10 years, as reported by VideoGamesChronicle.
Microsoft has stated that it has been willing to sign a deal with Sony to bring Call of Duty games for the next 10 years to the PlayStation platform. The company has also stated that a decade is enough time, considering Sony’s position as a major publisher and platform owner, to create its own competitor to Call of Duty.
“At the Remedies Hearing the CMA asked Microsoft if the 10-year duration is sufficient and whether there would be a ‘cliff edge’ for Sony at the end of this period. The 10- year period is [redacted],” Microsoft said in the statement. “Microsoft considers that a period of 10 years is sufficient for Sony, as a leading publisher and console platform, to develop alternatives to CoD.”
“The 10- year term will extend into the next console generation [redacted]. Moreover, the practical effect of the remedy will go beyond the 10-year period, since games downloaded in the final year of the remedy can continue to be played for the lifetime of that console (and beyond, with backwards compatibility).”
Throughout its hearings with various regulatory bodies on the acquisition, one of Sony’s main arguments has been the importance of Call of Duty games to sales of PlayStation consoles, and that giving Microsoft so much control over the franchise through its acquisition of Activision Blizzard would hurt competition in the gaming market.