Microsoft Agrees to Release Call of Duty on Nintendo Platforms for 10 Years Amid Regulatory Scrutiny

Microsoft has entered into a 10-year commitment to bring the gaming title Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms, the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer said in a tweet on Wednesday.

“Microsoft has committed to continue to offer Call of Duty on @Steam simultaneously to Xbox after we have closed the merger with Activision Blizzard King,” Spencer also tweeted.

Meanwhile, an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal on Monday from a Microsoft executive revealed that the company has offered Sony a 10-year contract to make each new Call of Duty release available on PlayStation the same day it comes to Xbox.

Back in September, Sony’s gaming chief Jim Ryan said that Microsoft’s earlier offer to keep the popular game series made by Activision Blizzard on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement expires was inadequate.

Xbox maker Microsoft’s latest offer to Sony comes as it faces increased regulatory scrutiny over its $69 billion (roughly Rs. 5,690 crore) buyout deal for Activision Blizzard.

The offer, made in January, has attracted regulatory headwinds in the European Union, Britain and in the US, with Sony criticizing the deal and even calling for a regulatory veto.

Reuters reported last month that Microsoft’s remedy would consist mainly of a 10-year licensing deal to PlayStation owner Sony.

“The main supposed potential anticompetitive risk Sony raises is that Microsoft would stop making Call of Duty available on the PlayStation. But that would be economically irrational,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said in the WSJ opinion piece.

Microsoft also said on Monday it was raising the prices of new Xbox games to $70 (roughly Rs. 5,800) from $60 (roughly Rs. 5,000) starting in 2023, according to a company spokesperson.

© Thomson Reuters 2022