The deal would allow Microsoft to stop Call of Duty from appearing on competing consoles such as Sony’s PlayStation 5.The UK regulator, the Competition Market Authority (CMA), says it could reduce gambling competition. Microsoft says otherwise and is currently offering this title to a competitor for a limited time. In announcing the deal, Microsoft president Brad Smith said the same offer is being considered if Sony is willing to “sit down and discuss it.”The CMA has launched a detailed investigation into the deal, saying that Sony’s revenue and users could be “materially impacted” if Sony loses access to Call of Duty. A previous deal with Microsoft led to the creation of exclusive games for Microsoft, and the acquisition of Bethesda meant that the new game Starfield would only be released on Xbox and PC.
A CMA spokesperson said :“We are aware of these developments and will continue to monitor the competitive landscape through our investigations.”
But the 10-year deal is significant for Nintendo, which last released a Call of Duty game on consoles in 2013.
Microsoft’s head of Xbox games, Phil Spencer, said Call of Duty will continue to be available on PC through game distribution service Steam. That said, the game series could theoretically also be available on the Steam Deck, a handheld gaming computer he doesn’t own by Microsoft, but that would depend on the hardware requirements of subsequent releases.
