The Xbox Activision Blizzard acquisition could finally be set to be approved this week more than a year after the deal was set in motion.
In a deal said to be worth $68.7 billion, Microsoft first announced its plans to acquire Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard in January 2022.
The whole process has been far from straightforward. Not only has Microsoft required the approval of market regulators from across the world, but it’s also faced stiff opposition from the likes of Sony hellbent on making sure the acquisition does not entirely work in the favour of the green brand. At the forefront of Sony’s charge has been PlayStation CEO, Jim Ryan.
It seems that Sony is concerned that if the Activision Blizzard deal is completed in Microsoft’s favour, then Xbox would have too much of a firm grip on the video game industry. If the deal goes through, it would mean that the entire Call of Duty series would eventually become available on Xbox Game Pass.
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This is despite a deal that Sony had previously put in place that would prevent the popular FPS series from being included in Microsoft’s subscription service. Sony has also shared concerns that Microsoft would release inferior versions of Call of Duty on PlayStation, causing “irreparable damage”.
However, Xbox chief Phil Spencer has on more than one occasion stated that Microsoft will commit to bringing Call of Duty to PlayStation for the long term. As perhaps indicated by the surprising 10-year deal to bring the series to Nintendo consoles.
Well, the deal could finally be sealed as early as this week. As reported by Push Square, in a tweet shared by Indle Sloth, a pay-walled article from the Financial Times also claims that the $68.7 billion dollar deal will be concluded in Microsoft’s favour.
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Of course, if this deal is finally sealed this week, it probably won't be the end of the drama. After all, negotiations will likely continue to take place to ensure that Call of Duty remains on PlayStation and it would have to be a deal that both Microsoft and Sony are happy with.
It’s unlikely that Call of Duty will be pulled from PlayStation consoles, given the fact that it's one of the biggest multiplatform money makers in the industry and Microsoft would seriously be shooting itself in the foot if it made that move.
As reported by GameSpot in March 2023, Microsoft said it would make “zero business sense” to make Call of Duty an exclusive. Microsoft and Sony are billion-dollar companies for a reason, so hopefully a compromise will be made, eventually.
In related news, Activision has recently announced a Call of Duty board game and for some reason, it’s going to be crowdfunded on Kickstarter.
Featured Image Credit: Microsoft/Activision BlizzardTopics: Xbox, Microsoft, Activision, Activision Blizzard, Call Of Duty, PlayStation
