The Redmond-based tech firm is keen to get its paws on Activision Blizzard King.
In a new document from the UK’s competition and markets watchdog, the CMA, Microsoft has openly stated that in the ten years, it has to offer full content and feature parity with the Xbox version on PlayStation platforms, Sony will have the opportunity to create its alternative. Presumably, the company can think of something unique for the engine (while Microsoft doesn’t want to force its engines everywhere…).
“At the Remedies Hearing, the CMA asked Microsoft if the 10-year duration is sufficient and whether there would be a ‘cliff edge’ for Sony at the end of this period. The 10-year period is [redacted]. Microsoft considers that a period of 10 years is sufficient for Sony, as a leading publisher and console platform, to develop alternatives to Call of Duty. The 10-year term will extend into the next console generation [redacted]. Moreover, the practical effect of the remedy will go beyond the ten years, since games downloaded in the final year of the remedy can continue to be played for the lifetime of that console (and beyond, with backward compatibility),” Microsoft wrote, which sees no merit in extending the period.
Microsoft also added that unique features available on Sony’s consoles (such as haptic feedback and adaptive triggers on DualSense) would not be left out of Call of Duty: “The Parties note, in particular, that there is no basis in the Provisional Findings for what would essentially amount to a “beyond parity” obligation, requiring Microsoft to develop a PlayStation version of CoD which has more features than the Xbox version. As Microsoft will be shipping CoD on PlayStation in compliance with its remedy commitments [redacted], Microsoft will have every incentive to develop games with optimized support for PlayStation 5 features, such as haptics, and future consoles to maximize sales on the platform.”
It’s easy for Microsoft to talk about development when Halo Infinite didn’t deliver (and, going back to the engine thought, they’re abandoning the Slipspace engine they developed for it…), and they have all the money. We can expect the CMA’s approval or disapproval on April 26.
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