• by Colin Kirkland , July 17, 2023

Marking the end of ongoing discussions and counteroffers between both companies, Sony and Microsoft have agreed to a “binding agreement” to keep "Call of Duty" on Playstation alongside Xbox for the next decade. 

As Microsoft nears a potential acquisition of video game holding company Activision Blizzard, the company is honoring part of its original commitment in ensuring that the popular gaming franchise remains on the Sony-owned gaming console. 

“We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games,” tweeted Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer. 

Microsoft announced its initial plan to acquire Activision Blizzard in January 2022 via a $68.7 billion cash deal -- the biggest in gaming history. 

In response to the proposition, U.S. and European regulators, as well as competitors like Sony, were concerned that Microsoft will hold an unfair advantage in the cloud gaming market with control over popular gaming franchises.

Microsoft awaits word on the regulatory situation in the U.K., after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the deal earlier this year, then issued a notice of extension for its overall investigation of the deal from July 18th to August 29th. 

However, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the FTC’s final request to block the Activision Blizzard takeover, allowing the merger to continue.

Microsoft wants to close the deal by July 18th, but may need to wait for word in the U.K. 

Kari Perez, head of global communications at Xbox, has said that Microsoft’s 10-year commitments to Call of Duty doesn’t apply to other deals the company has made with cloud gaming platforms like Nvidia to bring "Call of Duty" and other Xbox games to rival services. 

Microsoft has changed its original offer to Sony, which stated that it would keep “all existing Activision console titles on Sony, including versions in the Call of Duty franchise or any other current Activision franchise on Sony through December 31st, 2027.” 

Ahead of its hearing with EU regulators in February, Microsoft signed a 10-year Call of Dutycontract with Nintendo, which likely pushed Sony into accepting a similar deal.