Microsoft has Offered Sony a 10-year Deal on Call of Duty

Released in 2003, Call of Duty has existed on every teenager’s gaming console. None of us can picture our teenage years without the popular gaming franchise. It is one of the few games that hasn’t lost its place in the market and improvised further according to the latest technology. The real-life graphics of the shooter game has helped its publisher, Activision Blizzard made billions over the years. The popular game is available on Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s Play Station as well. Early this year, Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard for a whopping amount of 68.7 Billion. 

Although the company was facing allegations regarding sexism and workplace discrimination, it wasn’t the only reason why the X-box manufacturer decided to purchase it. However, the recent news Microsoft has now signed a 10-year contract with Sony has caused chaos in the gaming industry. Read ahead to understand what is Sony’s Call of Duty contract with Microsoft and whether there are any benefits of a call duty contract for Sony.

All the Details You Need to Know about Microsoft’s Contract with Sony

Microsoft’s president Brad Smith shared with the media, that the company has offered a 10-year-long contract to Sony. The contract states that the release of the Call of Duty series will appear on PlayStation the same day when it is available on Xbox. He further revealed that the company has worked with all other platforms pleasantly, but Sony has managed to make things complicated by raising objections to Microsoft’s unification with Activision Blizzard. When asked what benefits of a Call of Duty Contract for Sony, the PlayStation Gaming company, revealed intense thoughts about the contract, fearing that it will result in PlayStation’s all-time famous game turning into an Xbox exclusive.

Sony voiced concern about losing PlayStation players to Xbox to play the latest releases of the popular franchise. Furthermore, it added the risks included by Microsoft taking control over Call of Duty, considering, it will allow the company to take complete power of the series and enhance it better on Xbox compared to other gaming platforms. Sony’s reply indicated which company is bigger- Microsoft or Sony. Even though the war of words is still going on, the gamers in Pakistan are rising the question “Will a call of duty contract benefit Pakistan”?

How Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard Will Affect the Gaming Industry?

Now, that it is explained what is Sony’s call of duty contract with Microsoft, this is how things will change in the gaming world post-Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. For now, the following questions need to be answered:

·        What changes are going to take place shortly?

·        How it will impact players and developers?

In the coming timeline, Microsoft may lean towards keeping the newly acquired franchise for its platforms. This may lead PC players to shift from Steam to the Microsoft Game Store if they want to acquire popular franchises. The acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, might not be a good thing for PlayStation and Mac Gamers, as they might need to purchase a PC or an Xbox if they want access to the latest updates of the franchise. While Sony had strong objections regarding Microsoft taking over the famous publisher, others also had concerns about creativity being compromised.

Some also suggest that innovation might be in jeopardy overall in the gaming niche. But according to the latest statistics, it seems less likely to happen. One of the reasons for this is, the industry’s revenue has been concentrated in a small number of risk-reluctant companies.

In recent times, the market has seen massive variety in genres because independent creators now have access to smart tools such as gaming engines like Unity. Moreover, it has managed to attract a huge audience through digital platforms such as Steam and Xbox Game Pass. Although, not many applaud the acquisition, the companies that have the most power over the game industry and are innovative rarely stay consistent. Keeping this in mind, the latest purchase might not kill creativity but further enhance the game world. But the actual concerning point about the sale is how Microsoft will improvise the work culture, as the Call of the Duty publishing company was going through severe accusations and lawsuits of harassment, abuse, and sexism.

With CEO Bobby Kotick set to walk away from the company, the responsibilities lie on the shoulder of Microsoft, to clean the mess smartly. I think the real question is not which company is bigger- Microsoft or Sony but we should ask Can Microsoft and Sony find common ground to work together peacefully?

The Bottom Line

It is not the first time; two big companies are merged. Whenever this happens, it is given that will create some sort of impact on the particular industry. The gaming industry is worth billions of dollars and signing contracts similar to the one Microsoft and Sony did, can mean a lot of changes are about to take place in the coming years. But it is too soon to predict anything, what we can do is hope that it creates a positive impact, rather than a negative one. It is also impossible to predict things like will the call of duty contract benefits Pakistan, as such facts can only be revealed over time. All you need to do is wait and watch.