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PlayStation: Xbox's Call of Duty offer was "inadequate on many levels"

Microsoft has offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years beyond current deal

Microsoft has promised to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for three years beyond the current agreement between Activision and Sony, says PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan.

In a statement provided to GamesIndustry.biz, Ryan says the offer was "inadequate on many levels."

The disagreement between the two companies follows Microsoft's offer to buy Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard in a deal worth nearly $69 billion. The deal is currently being scrutinised by competitions regulators, with the UK regulator (The Competition and Markets Authority) concerned over the possibility of Microsoft "withholding or degrading" Activision Blizzard's content from other consoles or subscription services.

Last week, Xbox revealed that it had "provided a signed agreement to Sony to guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation, with feature and content parity, for at least several more years" beyond Sony's existing contract with Activision. Xbox said this offer "goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements."

The current deal between Sony and Activision Blizzard around Call of Duty is believed to cover the next three releases, including this year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

However, Sony says the offer fails to consider the impact on PlayStation gamers.

"I hadn’t intended to comment on what I understood to be a private business discussion, but I feel the need to set the record straight because Phil Spencer brought this into the public forum," Ryan stated.

"Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends. After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle."

For more on the regulatory process over the Activision Blizzard acquisition, click here.