It looks like Microsoft is increasing its offer to Sony in order to try and garner favor with the company and regulators as it deals with a lawsuit to block its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
As reported by Bloomberg, the company has reportedly offered more to Sony than to keep ‘Call of Duty’ on the PlayStation console for the next ten years. The report says that, according to people familiar with the private negotiations, that Microsoft is also offering to bring the franchise to PlayStation Plus, the company’s gaming subscription service.
Microsoft has publicly stated that it offered Sony a 10-year deal to make Call of Duty available on the Japanese company’s PlayStation console. The proposal, which Sony hasn’t accepted, also includes rights to sell the title on the PlayStation Plus service, which gives gamers access to a catalog of games for a monthly fee, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who declined to be identified because the talks are confidential.
The report notes that both Microsoft and Sony declined to confirm or comment on the rumored addition to the deal.
Right now, Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, both Microsoft offerings, are currently the top gaming subscription services. Microsoft commonly attempts to bring new games to the service on the same day as release, especially for titles that fall under one of the company’s growing studio lineup.
The company is looking to bring Activision Blizzard into that lineup, but both Sony and the FTC in the United States seem keen to block that acquisition. While FTC argues that Xbox is being anti-competitive, Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer said that the company plans to keep the gaming franchise on the PlayStation as long as there is one.
The inclusion of ‘Call of Duty’ on PlayStation Plus seems to be Microsoft’s latest move to try and get the deal through. We’ll have to wait and see if that is enough for Sony and the FTC.
