The repurchase from Activision-Blizzard by Microsoft obviously only has one big thorn in its side at the moment: the case call of duty. The fact that this license, and others, can pass definitively into the fold Xbox, and being deprived of an exit from the competition, poses problems for the various market regulators, as in Great Britain. Microsoft therefore bends over backwards to reassure all parties concerned, recalling that the goal is not to make Call of Duty an exclusive license for Xbox, and these justifications obviously started very early in the case.
“Dear Jim”
The Verge website tells us that Xbox COO Phil Spencer wrote a letter about this to PlayStation counterpart Jim Ryan earlier this year.. An epistolary conversation that we would certainly like to read, but which is not yet public.
However, in this letter, he tells Jim Ryan that the future of call of duty will also be written on PlayStation consolesas he clarified to The Verge:
“ In January, we have provided a signed agreement to Sony to guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation, with feature and content parity, for at least several additional years beyond the current contract with Sonyan offer that goes far beyond typical agreements in the gaming industry. ยป
Note that Phil Spencer does not talk about the duration of this agreement, but for the moment, the goal is to show your credentials to ensure that the takeover is validated by the various regulatory organizations. And there is no doubt that this kind of justification from Microsoft is likely to multiply until everything is settled.