Sony and Microsoft Sign a 'Binding Agreement' to Keep Call of Duty on PlayStation | Push Square

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With Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard set to close in the coming days following an unsuccessful appeal from the FTC, Sony and Microsoft have now signed a «binding agreement» to keep the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation. Sony had previously been offered a 10-year deal by Microsoft, but it's not known if this is the same offer or one for a different length of time.

A tweet from Xbox boss Phil Spencer said: «We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.»

Microsoft president Brad Smith also added: «From day one of this acquisition, we’ve been committed to addressing the concerns of regulators, platform and game developers, and consumers. Even after we cross the finish line for this deal’s approval, we will remain focused on ensuring that Call of Duty remains available on more platforms and for more consumers than ever before.»

In December last year, Microsoft invited Sony to sign a 10-year agreement to ensure Call of Duty would continue to launch on PlayStation hardware, following similar deals having been struck with Nintendo and PC platform Steam. However, this deal wasn't signed as Sony had concerns over PS5, PS4 versions being sabotaged through «bugs and errors». The firm was also worried about a raised price point for PlayStation players, restricting multiplayer access, and the possibility of making future entries exclusive to Xbox Game Pass.

Now the $69 billion acquisition looks set to go through, though, Sony has put pen to paper on a Call of Duty deal with