Microsoft To Reportedly Make Concessions to Close Its Activision Deal

Microsoft is reportedly set to make some concessions to regulators to help its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard to go through. 

As reported by Reuters, which cites several sources familiar with the matter, one of those concessions will be a 10-year licensing deal with Sony.

While no specific details on this lengthy deal were shared by Reuters, most likely it is going to be an offer to keep the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation for 10 years after the current Sony and Activision agreement between ends which Microsoft allegedly made to the PlayStation owner on November 11.

This news also echoes previous statements of Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer who shared he was ready to make an open commitment to Sony and regulators that the Call of Duty series will stay on PlayStation on a longer-term basis than it is currently agreed.

According to Reuters, the concessions are likely to be announced before January 2023, when the European Commission, one of the regulators which are currently investigating the Microsoft/Activision merger, will put forward a full list of competition concerns.

The news agency claims that this move could shorten the regulatory process as it could "secure an early clearance with the European Commission and subsequently be used by the parties before other antitrust agencies," as Stephane Dionnet, a partner at law firm McDermott Will & Emery, clarifies.

Currently, a number of global market authorities, apart from the European Commission, are scrutinizing the deal, including the UK's CMA and the US Federal Trade Commission. The acquisition’s review is now only completed in a few countries including Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and, most recently, Serbia. 

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