Microsoft has confirmed that its 10-year contract with Sony Interactive Entertainment only applies to the Call of Duty franchise. Although the terms of the deal have not been made public, the contract is similar to what Microsoft offered Nintendo.
Microsoft’s original offer to Sony went beyond Call of Duty
Thanks to the recent FTC vs. Microsoft and Activision Blizzard legal showdown, we know that Xbox’s original offer to PlayStation went beyond Call of Duty, but there was a catch. Xbox boss Phil Spencer told Sony’s Jim Ryan that he was prepared to sign an agreement that would grant PlayStation “future versions in the Call of Duty franchise or any other current Activision franchise on Sony through December 31, 2027.” Ryan felt this offer was “inadequate.”
The agreement has since been extended to 10 years, but only for Call of Duty, as reported by The Verge. It’s unclear if this was mutually decided by Sony and Microsoft since Ryan wasn’t happy with the 3-year offer or if this is the contract that Microsoft came up with when its executives went to Brussels and told the press that they were hoping to get Sony on board.
Microsoft’s deals with Nvidia and other platforms go beyond Call of Duty.