As Microsoft’s attempted acquisition of publishing giant Activision Blizzard hits a road bump, the Xbox creator has now offered its biggest franchise, Call of Duty, up for Sony’s PlayStation Plus subscription service.
Over the past two years, Microsoft has announced its intentions to purchase many of the gaming industry’s most prolific development teams. In 2020, they rolled out a $7.5 billion deal to acquire Zenimax Media, the parent company of Skyrim and Fallout creators Bethesda. Then in early 2022, they deployed a reported $70 billion plan that could see them controlling Activision Blizzard in the near future.
With rival parties concerned over a possible monopolization, and competitors like Sony expressing worry that a number of marquee properties could be removed from PlayStation hardware, many are seeking to interrupt the deal. A handful of governing bodies have already approved this gargantuan purchase, though other regions have been more hesitant.
As Sony and Microsoft trade blows through the legal system, an unprecedented offer has now been made by the latter to appease its biggest rival. The Xbox creators are open to featuring Call of Duty titles on PlayStation Plus, a new report from Bloomberg suggests.
Bloomberg is reporting that, in their latest effort to win regulators, Microsoft's Call of Duty deal to Sony also now includes 'the right for Sony to put CoD on PlayStation Plus' subscription, along with it being on Game Pass. Sony has not accepted any deal from Microsoft still.
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) December 12, 2022
Amidst the legal dealings, one of Sony’s biggest points of contention has to do with the CoD franchise. As one of the best-selling games every year, with this year’s Modern Warfare 2 release setting records by generating $800m in revenue in just three days, Sony doesn’t want a future where said games are no longer available on their hardware.
To mitigate such concerns, Microsoft has already put forward a 10-year deal that would keep CoD on PlayStation throughout the PS5 generation and beyond. Furthermore, Microsoft has even committed to bringing the hit FPS franchise over to Nintendo platforms too, having struck a separate 10-year deal on that end.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
However, this commitment and expression to keep CoD in Sony’s wheelhouse hasn’t been enough. Now, in another attempt to appease its rival, Microsoft is offering up one of its biggest cash cows for Sony’s subscription service, a rival to Xbox Game Pass.
Hypothetically, this proposal would allow for previous CoD titles to be featured as part of the PlayStation Plus subscription tiers. Any players subscribed at a certain level could have unrestricted access to the CoD catalog, rather than having to purchase each release one by one.
Furthermore, it even opens the door for day one launches on PlayStation Plus, enabling players to avoid the annual premium price tag altogether. Though that remains purely as conjecture for the time being.
Whether or not Sony chooses to accept this deal remains to be seen. With previous offers falling short, it’s unclear if this step sweetens the pot to their satisfaction. We’ll be sure to keep you updated here as the story develops.
