What you need to know
- Microsoft is currently working to acquire Activision Blizzard for almost $69 billion.
- The deal is undergoing regulatory review, and has seen PlayStation parent company Sony push for the deal to be blocked.
- Microsoft has reportedly offered Sony a 10-year deal for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation consoles.
- According to a new report, Microsoft and Sony recently held meetings to discuss exact terms for the deal.
As Microsoft continues to try and close its biggest deal ever, we’re getting more and more reports of different potential actions and concessions Microsoft will consent to in order to get the deal finished.
The latest report comes from SeekingAlpha (opens in new tab), which reports that Microsoft and Sony recently held meetings to discuss terms and provide assurances that after the deal closes, Microsoft will “allow Activision’s games to be played on the PlayStation console.”
This deal, valued at almost $69 billion, is the largest acquisition in video game history, and would see Microsoft add Activision Publishing, Blizzard Entertainment, and King to the existing Xbox first-party publishers of Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks.
Sony has repeatedly pushed back against the deal, with Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan stating that Microsoft’s initial three-year offer for Call of Duty remaining on PlayStation was “inadequate,” while Sony has argued Microsoft will be able to raise prices on Xbox games, Xbox consoles and Xbox Game Pass once the deal closes.
Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard is currently undergoing regulatory review in multiple countries, including the FTC in the U.S, the CMA in the U.K, and the European Commission in the EU. The deal has so far been approved without restrictions by Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Serbia.
Prior to this latest update, Microsoft reportedly offered Sony 10 years of Call of Duty as a concession to the European Commission in order to get approval for the deal. Another report recently indicated the FTC is “likely” to block the deal, though it’s also possible the regulator is preparing a lawsuit as part of a move to seek concessions. The newest report indicates that an FTC decision can be expected by January 2023.
It’s worth emphasizing this is just a report, and how much of a rollercoaster this story has been for the past several months, we’ll have to wait and see just how everything pans out in the future.
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