In in-game screenshot from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Following the news of the undoubtedly monopoly-forming merger between Microsoft and Activision, Xbox head Phil Spencer has taken to Twitter to (try to) assuage concerns from industry competitors and gamers alike. Apparently, Microsoft and Sony have signed a binding agreement to prevent Microsoft from keeping unfathomable mega-hit game series Call of Duty relegated to their own consoles, which was one of the more worrying potential issues cited by opponents of the merger.
It seems that they’re doing all they can to avoid looking like they’re trying to corner the market – tens of millions of people worldwide pick up each new installment of Call of Duty, and Sony even cited in Microsoft’s acquisition hearings that a good chunk of PlayStation gamers only play Call of Duty. While we don’t know anything about how long the deal lasts, how much money Sony forked over, or how big of a cut Microsoft is taking from CoD sales on PlayStation, the news comes as a momentary rest stop on Microsoft’s path to become the legal owner of the planet in the next decade or so.
By: GRANT ST. CLAIR
Originally published from Boing Boing
