Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Beijing time on December 12 morning news, according to reports, in order to promote the approval of the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard deal, Microsoft agreed to authorize competitor Sony to sell "Call of Duty" games in a game subscription service model.

Microsoft has publicly announced that it has proposed a $1 billion deal to Sony so that Call of Duty can run on its PlayStation console. The proposal also includes the right to sell the game on the PlayStation Plus service, which allows users to access a set of games for a monthly fee, people familiar with the matter said. Sony has not yet accepted the offer.

Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass is the market leader in video games and cloud game subscriptions and the biggest concern for regulators in the US, UK and Europe. The Federal Trade Commission said last week it planned to block the deal because it "would allow Microsoft to suppress competitors in the Xbox console and its fast-growing subscription content and cloud computing businesses."

Cloud games are sold to users as part of Microsoft Game Pass's most premium package, but the service is still in its infancy. But because the technology can stream certain games on any device, including tablets and phones, some in the industry expect it could eventually reduce the importance of consoles. Subscriptions cost about $10 to $15 a month and provide access to a wide variety of games, compared with about $70 for a stand-alone game.

Sony hasn't commented yet. Microsoft declined to comment on the detailed terms of Sony's proposed deal.

Sony has been a staunch opponent of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, accusing the software giant of trying to "lock many consumers into Xbox" and using the company's other products to "frustrate cloud gaming at a critical time." Analysts suspect Sony's criticism of Microsoft may have created a sense of insecurity because it lags behind Microsoft in diversity. Sony usually releases home-made games for PlayStation first, and compatibility with other platforms takes a long time.

Game Pass was launched in 2017 and has experienced rapid growth since then, with more than 25 million subscribers now, far surpassing Sony's comparable service. Microsoft added cloud gaming capabilities to Game Pass in 2020, and more than 20 million players have already experienced the service. Microsoft has said the cloud game subscription service is critical to reaching its goal of reaching 3 billion players worldwide. Microsoft's vision is for gamers to run games on multiple platforms, including Windows, Xbox and smartphones.

Microsoft struck a 10-year licensing deal for Call of Duty with Nintendo last week. Microsoft declined to say whether the agreement covers subscription services.

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