Microsoft has bought the rights to Gears of War, ensuring the hit video game franchise won't be available on Sony's Playstation consoles.
The fierce rivals both released new consoles in November, but the battle for supremacy extends to gaming exclusivity.
Gears of War has only been available for play on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs.
Buying the rights from studio Epic Games allows Microsoft to prevent the version being crafted for PlayStation in the future.
"We're very proud of the franchise we built in close partnership with Microsoft over the past decade," Epic founder and chief Tim Sweeney said in a statement.
"This agreement enables Microsoft to forge ahead with the 'Gears' universe on their industry-leading platforms."
Microsoft did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, which it said includes rights to all existing and future Gears of War games.
The US technology titan's game unit said that Black Tusk Studios in Vancouver will take over development of the franchise, with the former director of production at Epic playing a key role.
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