Microsoft and Sony have reached an agreement that will see the Call of Duty franchise continue to feature on PlayStation, should Microsoft's bid to acquire Activision Blizzard prove successful. This development was unveiled via tweets from Phil Spencer, the Head of Xbox, and Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft. Microsoft has previously entered into similar agreements with Nintendo and streaming platforms such as Nvidia's GeForce Now, each for a duration of 10 years. However, no specific timeline was outlined in the recent agreement with Sony.

According to reports from December, Microsoft purportedly offered Sony the prospect of providing the Call of Duty series as part of a PlayStation Plus subscription for a minimum of 10 years if the acquisition deal goes through. In an op-ed penned by Smith for the Wall Street Journal at the time, he argued that Sony was the most vocal opponent of the acquisition. Smith likened Sony's opposition to Blockbuster's reaction to the emergence of Netflix. He further suggested that it would be economically imprudent to remove the game from PlayStation.

In Smith's view, the acquisition would enable Microsoft to better compete with tech giants Google and Apple. He contended that this would be achieved "through innovation that would benefit customers". Microsoft has been wrestling with regulators across the globe to have the deal approved. This week, it scored a win in the US, although it still faces hurdles with UK regulators.

Microsoft is slated to take part in a case management conference at the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The conference is set to "consider the application made jointly by all parties to adjourn these proceedings pending further discussions between the CMA and Microsoft," as reported by The Verge.

The CMA has extended its investigation into the deal, pushing the deadline from July 18 to August 29. This indicates that the authority may need more time to thoroughly examine the proposed acquisition and its potential implications. The outcome of this investigation will greatly influence the future of the Call of Duty franchise and its availability on PlayStation.