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Sony signs agreement with MS to keep COD on PS

mortal

Gold Member
I don't think some of you are understanding just what a predicament Sony are in. They have zero negotiating power here, sadly.
I don't understand, is this deal not the result of negotiation? Wasn't the 2024 expiration from a previous agreement?
Why would Sony agree to this if they'd just lose out on COD in a year? That doesn't sound right to me. Surely the conditions of the deal aren't the same.

If Microsoft decided to foreclose COD on PlayStation next year, Sony wouldn't have anything to replace it. I think both parties are cognizant of that, so while Sony likely have a 10-year deal, I don't think it's coming with things like automatic free cloud license, nor does it stop MS undercutting them on Day 1 COD B2P by launching a week early on Xbox & PC with Premium Editions (or whatever), then dropping on PS and Game Pass simultaneously (or sandwiching PS with a week early release of Premium Editions on Xbox & PC, then a week after PS release bring it out onto Game Pass).
I can see Microsoft sweetening the pot for those that sub to Gamepass or primarily play on Xbox platforms, but I don't see them going as far to undermine the selling potential of COD on PlayStation.
Gampass release at launch is a lot more plausible than COD being exclusive to Xbox platforms.
 
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dem

Member
Sony don't hide your acquisitions any more.

It is time for PUNISHED SONY.

Announce Square next week then From in a month.

Then announce CDPR and Capcom in 2024

Throw in Remedy and some other ones in the mix as well.

La Luz Halloween GIF by Hardly Art
 

Fabieter

Member
An even more aggressive? That's like... Kinda hard to do, they already gave MS the excuse with exclusivity deals, now MS will buy hardware manufacturers or whatever lol

How is current sony more aggressive than xbox or nintendo. It's just industry norm, but they will buy their own publisher in the next few years no doubt.
 

Godot25

Banned
"But Microsoft wants to foreclose COD from Playstation as soon as possible"

So why on Earth would they still offered a deal when they did not have to?

It's hilarious that I had to read for a year how it's a bad deal, how it is only for regulators.. Now it seems like Sony was dishonest as fuck with regulators in hopes that they will block the deal and now even "unacceptable" deal is somewhat okay...
 

Midn1ght

Member
From someone who primarily plays on PC, I would like to thanks Microsoft and Sony for all these months of entertainment and for bringing their games on Steam to look "nice and open" in front of the CMA and the FTC . On behalf of Valve, Gabe and the whole Steam crowd, sincerely, Thank You.

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They’ll make that back up to quick. Most of it through Sony’s platform
That's if COD stays relevant enough.

It really doesn't matter. Microsoft will still be well behind Sony and Nintendo in terms of sales. It wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft scraps the Xbox altogether and focuses on Game Pass.
 

Godot25

Banned
Main thing I'm interested in is if this new deal cancels current marketing contract with Sony for COD.

It makes sense since Jimbo implied it in mail communication with Spencer in may 2022 and it would even benefited Sony since it would return split from game sales and in-game sales back to 70/30 instead of custom split that was part of that marketing deal.

Downside would be that MW3 would launch into Game Pass.
 
As much as I love my PS5, far more than my Xbox, I enjoy seeing Sony squirm like this. This whole 'we rely on COD' argument has been embarrassing for such a dominant market leader. More competition would be a good thing.
Im not sure how is competitive, if COD was off ps5 then it would be.
 

C2brixx

Member
So you'd rather they settled for no deal or 3 years? this give them time to make up lost revenue through their own ip or others.

COD isn't undefeatable, MS could fumble that bag.
Maybe, but whoever goes after CoD needs to go right at the core. Realistic wartime graphics and gameplay. All these fantasy, avatar based, space shooters aren't going to do it. Sony has the talent to do, but I don't think the return on invest for them is there. CoD with Microsoft's financial backing is going to be a monster to deal with.
 
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havoc00

Member
Maybe, but whoever goes after CoD needs to go right at the core. Realistic wartime graphics and gameplay. All these fantasy, avatar based, space shooters aren't going to do it. Sony has to talent to do, but I don't think the return on invest for them is there. CoD with Microsoft's financial backing is going to be a monster to deal with.
It’s the gunplay the kill streaks etc … cod just has that magic there is a reason nothing has topped it or duplicated it after all these years and there have been many attempts
 

Topher

Gold Member
"But Microsoft wants to foreclose COD from Playstation as soon as possible"

So why on Earth would they still offered a deal when they did not have to?

It's hilarious that I had to read for a year how it's a bad deal, how it is only for regulators.. Now it seems like Sony was dishonest as fuck with regulators in hopes that they will block the deal and now even "unacceptable" deal is somewhat okay...

And on the other side of those arguments we had some folks saying the moment the deal was done then Microsoft would be free to yank COD away from PS and regulators could do nothing about it. So all kind of theories have come out of this drama. I find myself repeatedly asking people why they think Phil Spencer is a blatant liar because many are still convinced COD will be exclusive.

Awkward John Krasinski GIF by Saturday Night Live
 

Lupin25

Member
As much as I love my PS5, far more than my Xbox, I enjoy seeing Sony squirm like this. This whole 'we rely on COD' argument has been embarrassing for such a dominant market leader. More competition would be a good thing.

So your best idea would’ve been to let the competition have their way uninterrupted?
You can’t just let your highest-selling FPS to leave your platform.

In the end they still have it. In the end, MS would’ve rather Sony agree to the deal long before wasting additional time & money in court for it.
 
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splattered

Member
Maybe Sony agreed to make one/some of their upcoming GaaS titles on Xbox as well so they can trade MTX revenue stream games haha
 
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oji-san

Banned
Good i guess, i don't care for CoD anymore tbh, i only liked the campaigns anyway and played Cold War campaign and only one mission was really enjoyable, i'm happy tho that PS players can still enjoy CoD.
 

Calverz

Gold Member
Sony lost a lot of good look with this whole deal.
They played weak and they look weak because of that.
Fuck call of duty anyway. They could make better games than cod.

And m$ is the worst and continues to be the devil. GP is devaluing the industry and will ruin the industry. It makes no sense to put a lot of money in GP games because it's not selling. Just like netflix.
Sony created their success. M$ is buying their "success"... YAY SUCH EQUAL MARKET OPPORTUNITY
Sad Monsters Inc GIF by filmeditor
 

JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
I don't think some of you are understanding just what a predicament Sony are in. They have zero negotiating power here, sadly. We're probably a day away from this deal closing, if it hasn't done so already and MS & ABK are just waiting to announce it Monday (which means I'm feeling MS & the CMA have probably come to some agreement, where MS & ABK can close in other markets and expect to close in the UK after a couple months or so from now). Sony are the ones potentially facing foreclosure of COD on their platform after 2024, not Microsoft.

If Microsoft decided to foreclose COD on PlayStation next year, Sony wouldn't have anything to replace it. I think both parties are cognizant of that, so while Sony likely have a 10-year deal, I don't think it's coming with things like automatic free cloud license, nor does it stop MS undercutting them on Day 1 COD B2P by launching a week early on Xbox & PC with Premium Editions (or whatever), then dropping on PS and Game Pass simultaneously (or sandwiching PS with a week early release of Premium Editions on Xbox & PC, then a week after PS release bring it out onto Game Pass).



Personally would like to believe that, but two problems there:

1: Phil Spencer made that oath, not Microsoft. Remember when the FTC pressed him on binding MS to statements? He admitted right there that he could not bind MS as a corporation. So Phil Spencer made an oath; that doesn't mean Microsoft have made the same oath.

2: The oath was just WRT bringing COD out to PlayStation. Nothing really about the terms & conditions of how the game actually comes to PlayStation platforms, or how much it'll cost Sony to get certain access to the game. All of that could and likely is (IMO) unfavorable for them here.
This idea that Sony has no negotiating power is ludacris. Sony has the ability to point to how much revenue having Call of Duty brings in for Actvision. That’s not nothing. MS can afford and may choose to remove that revenue stream, but many people operate under this assumption that MS can just spend their way out of problems and take losses. MS has spent close to $75 billion in acquiring publishers. The shareholders are not going to just allow MS to invest into gaming if the game division doesn’t start showing record profits.
 

JohnnyFootball

GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Microsoft can afford to take a hit like that for a decade or more if their true goal, as many on this forum seemed to believe, was to spend Sony out of business.
I love how people just assume that MS will spend into oblivion and not expect some accountability from the shareholders.

I appreciate these posts because they make it obvious who knows how to spend money but not how to make money.
 

Zok310

Banned
I love how people just assume that MS will spend into oblivion and not expect some accountability from the shareholders.

I appreciate these posts because they make it obvious who knows how to spend money but not how to make money.
yeah, it kinda shows who lives in their parents basement and who is out working, set budgets, have good credit and is financially responsible and at least HS educated.
 
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jroc74

Phone reception is more important to me than human rights
"But Microsoft wants to foreclose COD from Playstation as soon as possible"

So why on Earth would they still offered a deal when they did not have to?

It's hilarious that I had to read for a year how it's a bad deal, how it is only for regulators.. Now it seems like Sony was dishonest as fuck with regulators in hopes that they will block the deal and now even "unacceptable" deal is somewhat okay...
Maybe...... Sony got a better deal vs what was offered already?

We won't know until details are posted.

The details of this deal and what MS are offering the CMA is gonna shed some light on things in a few weeks.
 

Godot25

Banned
Maybe...... Sony got a better deal vs what was offered already?

We won't know until details are posted.

The details of this deal and what MS are offering the CMA is gonna shed some light on things in a few weeks.
Microsoft don't need to publish details of deal because it has nothing to do with CMA. CMA already dropped console SLC and they only care about cloud so they don't need any new contract.

So I would not get my hopes up for that.

I don't think it is "better" than previous deal. Standard 70/30 split, 10-years in duration with option to renew after that period, option to release in PS Plus at market value, feature and content parity. Everything Microsoft offered them last time.
Microsoft just signed at the dotted line stuff that they previously committed to verbally. It's just that all Sony attempts to kill the deal failed miserably and they had no choice but to accept.
 

C2brixx

Member
I guess the idea of not sending PS6 developments kits went out the window. That argument to me never made sense. Why would Microsoft want to make CoD worse on Playstation? That ruins the brand with the largest population of console gamers.

If anything they would want to be the best publisher on the Playsation platform. If I'm a Playstaion only gamer and the games published under the Microsoft stewardship are the best 3rd party games on the Playstation I would be curious about the other Microsoft games that aren't available on the Playstation. I would be more inclined to want an Xbox to experience those games because of quality I've experienced on games they brought to Playstation. That's the smarter foreclosure strategy.
 

Chiggs

Gold Member
I love how people just assume that MS will spend into oblivion and not expect some accountability from the shareholders.

The problem, if you're not a fan of MS, is that they largely can. They're in so deep with businesses via Office, Teams, and Azure--not to mention a slew of lucrative government contracts, that Xbox can continue to be something of a money pit because they (as in MS) have looked at it as a defensive position.

Now, with this acquisition, they're going to have show some results...and probably more quickly than most people realize. Again, though, the problem for detractors is that MS are quite good at providing value to shareholders.

UrsxOP8.png
 
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chonga

Member
"But Microsoft wants to foreclose COD from Playstation as soon as possible"

So why on Earth would they still offered a deal when they did not have to?

It's hilarious that I had to read for a year how it's a bad deal, how it is only for regulators.. Now it seems like Sony was dishonest as fuck with regulators in hopes that they will block the deal and now even "unacceptable" deal is somewhat okay...
You won't get far in business if you just bend over and take it up the chutney.

Every successful business looks out for itself and it's own interests. All of them.
 

jroc74

Phone reception is more important to me than human rights
Microsoft don't need to publish details of deal because it has nothing to do with CMA. CMA already dropped console SLC and they only care about cloud so they don't need any new contract.

So I would not get my hopes up for that.

I don't think it is "better" than previous deal. Standard 70/30 split, 10-years in duration with option to renew after that period, option to release in PS Plus at market value, feature and content parity. Everything Microsoft offered them last time.
Microsoft just signed at the dotted line stuff that they previously committed to verbally. It's just that all Sony attempts to kill the deal failed miserably and they had no choice but to accept. and thinking. You and some others talk like you know...exactly...what this deal is.


Again, no one knows the details of this deal.

I dont know how you could read my post as talking like I know...exactly..... what the deal is.

Thats what ...you ....are doing....
 
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Bridges

Member
Sure, only I think they are different players. The people who buy the latest cod for 80 euros every year are not the same people who play f2p games.
I don't think this is true. I get the overlap between CoD players and Fortnite players is quite large.

I don't have stats or anything so maybe I'm wrong, but anecdotally almost everyone I know that plays CoD also plays Fortnite or Apex or PUBG or Tarkov or some combination thereof.
 
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