A tweet from Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming’s CEO, read: “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.” In the United States, the FTC had argued ☀️ the acquisition deal would hurt consumers whether they played video games on consoles or had subscriptions because Microsoft would have ☀️ an incentive to shut out rivals like Sony Group. However, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley ruled on 11 June: “The FTC has ☀️ not shown it is likely to succeed on its assertion the combined firm will probably pull Call of Duty from ☀️ Sony PlayStation, or that its ownership of Activision content will substantially lessen competition in the video game library subscription and ☀️ cloud gaming markets.” To address the FTC’s concerns, Microsoft had agreed to license Call of Duty to rivals, including a 10-year ☀️ contract with Nintendo, contingent on the merger closing. On Sunday, Microsoft did not disclose the duration of the agreement with Sony.
