{"id":150848,"date":"2022-12-07T14:58:59","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T14:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/microsoft-signs-10-year-call-of-duty-deal-with-nintendo\/"},"modified":"2022-12-07T14:58:59","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T14:58:59","slug":"microsoft-signs-10-year-call-of-duty-deal-with-nintendo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/microsoft-signs-10-year-call-of-duty-deal-with-nintendo\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft signs 10-year ‘Call of Duty’ deal with Nintendo"},"content":{"rendered":"
Microsoft has signed a 10-year deal to bring Call of Duty<\/em>one of the world’s most popular gaming franchises, to Nintendo’s platforms for the first time in almost a decade, following its planned $75bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard. <\/p>\n The announcement came as the US technology giant tries to address antitrust concerns to pull off the games industry’s biggest-ever deal. The transaction faces in-depth probes in the UK and EU, while in the US, the Federal Trade Commission is reportedly nearing a decision on the deal. <\/p>\n Rival Sony has led industry opposition to the merger, arguing that any limitation on Call of Duty<\/em> availability on PlayStation would harm the console’s sales. <\/p>\n In a bid to win over regulators, Microsoft has repeatedly argued that Call of Duty<\/em>the blockbuster game that has brought in $30bn in lifetime sales for Activision, will continue to be available on other companies’ game consoles after the deal, rather than being turned into an exclusive title on Microsoft’s Xbox.<\/p>\n \u201cMicrosoft is committed to helping bring more games to more people however they choose to play,\u201d Xbox boss Phil Spencer said in a post on Twitter on Wednesday. <\/p>\n Spencer also said Microsoft was committed to offering the popular series on Valve’s Steam game distribution platform at the same time as it is released on Xbox.<\/p>\n \u201cAny day Sony wants to sit down and talk, we’ll be happy to hammer out a 10-year deal for PlayStation as well,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Sony has told regulators that Call of Duty<\/em> is so popular that it can influence which console consumers choose to buy, potentially disadvantaging its PlayStation 5 if Microsoft opted to bundle the title with its Xbox. <\/p>\n In September, Jim Ryan, chief executive of Sony’s gaming business, dismissed as \u201cinadequate on many levels\u201d a previous offer from Microsoft to keep Call of Duty<\/em> on PlayStation for three years after the companies’ current agreement ends. <\/p>\n Analysts said Microsoft had taken a big step towards winning over regulators but that it may still need to go further, for instance by offering new assurances related to Call of Duty<\/em> inclusion in its Game Pass subscription service. <\/p>\n \u201cThe major concession here is the length of time of these deals rather than Call of Duty<\/em> being multi-platform,\u201d said Piers Harding-Rolls, research director at Ampere Analysis. <\/p>\n Striking a deal with Nintendo would have been relatively \u201ceasy\u201d, said Harding-Rolls, as the game has been absent from the Japanese company’s platforms for several years, therefore offering \u201cupside for both companies\u201d from its return. <\/p>\n \u201cA Sony deal is more complex,\u201d he added. \u201cMy view is that there will need to be further concessions before a deal can be done with both Sony and these other bodies.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Microsoft has signed a 10-year deal to bring Call of Dutyone of the world’s most popular gaming franchises, to Nintendo’s platforms for the first time in almost a decade, following its planned $75bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The announcement came as the US technology giant tries to address antitrust concerns to pull off the games …<\/p>\n