Microsoft offers to allow Call of Duty on PlayStation Plus

Microsoft has confirmed that it has proposed to allow Sony to put Call of Duty (COD) titles on PlayStation Plus at the same time as Xbox’s Game Pass subscription service to help push its acquisition of Activision-Blizzard over the finish line.

The details:

• Microsoft has responded to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) provisional findings report from early February in relation to its ongoing attempt to acquire publisher Activision-Blizzard, confirming that it has offered to allow Sony to put the shooter on its own subscription service "at the same time and for the same duration." The proposal was first reported last year, alongside the company's offer to Sony of a 10-year deal to continue bringing the franchise to its consoles with full parity with the Xbox versions.
• In its own response to the findings, Sony claims that Microsoft would be able to manipulate the cost of COD on PlayStation platforms through increased licensing fees, causing it to "raise the price of our multi-game subscription service, or not offer Call of Duty at all," which would "commercially destroy" the model. As a result, Sony is unlikely to accept the offer and will instead continue to fight the acquisition, even though it now seems likely that regulators will approve the deal.
• Microsoft recently announced similar agreements with Nintendo and Nvidia to bring its titles, including COD, to their respective platforms and services on the same day. If the acquisition is successful, ports of the franchise's past and future games will be available locally or via the cloud, complete with all of their content and functionality.

Other recent Call of Duty news:

• According to a recent document, Microsoft intends to "phase out" COD Mobile with Warzone Mobile. If the company's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard is successful, it plans to discontinue COD Mobile in all markets except China, focusing instead on the newer battle royale title. It's unclear whether the standard multiplayer mode will be added to the game to allow for the use of the more modern engine.
• A TV show based on the Modern Warfare reboot is reportedly in the works, with screenshots from the first episode already available online. The images indicate that Task Force 141's core members, as well as antagonist General Shepard, will appear. Filming is still ongoing, with the show set to premiere in May.