Microsoft Xbox Reportedly Offers Sony PlayStation to Add Call of Duty to Its PS plus Subscription Service
Microsoft Xbox continues to struggle with competition regulators from across the world, as it attempts to close the $69 billion acquisition.
After facing tough questioning and doubts from the EU and UK regulators, the Redmond-based tech giants now faces a lawsuit from the United States’ Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as it believes the acquisition will create a monopoly in the gaming industry.
One of the complaints that the FTC had with Microsoft Xbox revolved around its decision to make several ZeniMax Media titles exclusive despite assuring EU regulators of not having any incentive to do so.
The FTC believe that such a thing might happen with Activision as well, with Xbox even playing a hand that might result in franchises like Call of Duty to be exclusive.
This decision will cause a major dent in the market, as fans of consoles from Sony PlayStation will likely switch over to Microsoft Xbox. Sony, who have opposed the acquisition from the beginning, has stated to regulators that keeping games like Call of Duty exclusive to one platform will be detrimental to others.
To appease Sony and the regulators in the EU, Microsoft Xbox had claimed that they had sent a 10-year offer to keep Call of Duty on its consoles. While Sony never agreed on the deal, the offer soon shifted to Nintendo too, as the Japanese gaming giants agreed to keep the hit FPS title on its platforms.
Moreover, a recent Bloomberg report suggests that Xbox had also offered Sony to add Call of Duty games on the rising PlayStation Plus subscription, which would have made it a serious competitor to Xbox Game Pass.
In the end, Xbox’s decision to introduce Call of Duty to PlayStation Plus will definitely gain some eyeballs from officials at FTC, as the former continues to change the opinions of regulators on the company’s recent acquisition.
