Gaming enthusiasts and industry people walk among exhibits of Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation at the E3 trade show on June 16, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
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sony Binding agreements have been signed with Microsoft Call of Duty Retains After Shutting Down PlayStation Console Activision Microsoft said Sunday that it was acquired by Blizzard.
“We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to continue Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard,” said Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Games. explain Sunday on Twitter.
Activision Blizzard is the maker of the best-selling Call of Duty series. Regulators around the world have expressed serious concerns about Microsoft’s influence in the gaming market if the Activision acquisition is approved.
Microsoft, maker of the Xbox, competes directly with Sony’s PlayStation, raising concerns that Microsoft will be able to make “exclusive” games for its own console and displace Sony in the competition.
Although Microsoft and Sony did not disclose the duration of the agreement, the deal does ease those concerns. A Microsoft spokesperson did note that the deal is long-term.The company has signed similar offers in the past.
Just last month, Jim Ryan, chief executive of Sony Interactive Entertainment, expressed anticompetitive concerns. Ryan, whose portfolio includes PlayStation, said in a videotaped testimony in June that he believed Activision Blizzard’s proposed acquisition would be detrimental to competition.
Microsoft Vice Chairman Brad Smith explain Even after the potential deal closes, Microsoft “will remain focused on making sure Call of Duty remains available to more consumers, on more platforms than ever before,” said on Twitter on Sunday.
While the prospects for Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are clearly better after a federal appeals judge blocked the FTC from temporarily blocking the deal, the acquisition isn’t necessarily going to go through. The FTC filed a lawsuit in San Francisco federal court in July to stop the deal, but failed to convince a judge that the deal would pose a sufficient anticompetitive risk.
EU regulators signed off on the deal in May. Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority, which has forced the divestment and blocked previous tech deals, said on Wednesday it was ready to negotiate the terms of the deal with Microsoft.
The companies aim to close the deal by Tuesday, July 18.