In the unfolding saga that is PlayStation vs. Xbox over the latter’s bid to acquire Activision-Blizzard and, by proxy, the mammoth Call of Duty franchise, we’ve seen Microsoft offer deal after deal to Sony (as well as Nintendo and Steam) to stay. the franchise on PlayStation consoles for a promised period of time.
Last we heard, Microsoft was trying to appease US and EU regulators looking into the Activision-Blizzard takeover bid by offering to keep Call of Duty games on PlayStation platforms for a guaranteed 10 years.
Microsoft’s bid to make Call of Duty available on PlayStation includes access to Sony’s subscription plan
— Bloomberg (@business) December 12, 2022
In a just-published report (paid but VGC has the crucial details here ), Bloomberg claims that the proposed deal also includes an offer that would allow Sony to include Call of Duty titles in its PlayStation Plus subscription tiers Essential/Extra/Deluxe. That would presumably remove some of the arguments against the deal from Sony and the regulator, who have repeatedly cited Microsoft’s ability to bundle the franchise into its popular Game Pass subscription service after the acquisition as an unfair competitive advantage.
Bloomberg reports that Sony has not yet accepted the offer and that neither company has responded to requests for additional comment.