Microsoft Pledges Long-Term Support for Activision Games on PlayStation
To keep regulators happy, Microsoft is pledging to continue publishing Activision Blizzard games for the PlayStation even after distribution deals with Sony expire.
The company made the statement as the US Federal Trade Commission is reportedly scrutinizing Microsoft’s $68.7 billion plan to buy Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft already said it plans on keeping Activision’s Call of Duty franchise on the PlayStation platform. But technically, it only committed to honoring Activision’s “existing agreements” with Sony, which naturally raised questions about how long that Call of Duty support might last.
On Wednesday, Microsoft tried to clear the air. The company reiterated it will “continue to make Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles available” on PlayStation through the existing agreements. “And we have committed to Sony that we will also make them available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love,” Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote in a blog post.
“We are also interested in taking similar steps to support Nintendo’s successful platform,” he added. “We believe this is the right thing for the industry, for gamers and for our business.”
The statements signal that none of the major titles from Activision Blizzard will be exclusive to Microsoft’s Xbox. Instead, Smith said the company’s goal is “to reach every gamer more easily across every platform.”
The majority of Smith’s blog post focuses on app stores. To stay ahead of regulators, the software giant is committing to a set of “Open App Store Principles” for the Microsoft Store on Windows and for upcoming “next-generation marketplaces” focused on gaming.
The
Read more on pcmag.com
