Source: Activision / Call of Duty
Following Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision, the million-dollar question that many began to ask was if Call of Duty would become an Xbox-exclusive title. Phil Spencer is doubling down on the game, staying on PlayStation for now.
The Verge reports that Xbox chief Phil Spencer verbally committed in a letter to PlayStation’s Jim Ryan that Activision’s uber-popular first-person shooter franchise Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation platforms for “several years.”
While that is still highly vague because several years could mean anything, it’s the most clear-cut sign that the game isn’t leaving PlayStation platforms.
“In January, we 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 the current Sony contract, an offer that goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements,” Phil Spencer said in a statement sent to The Verge.
It’s been a confusing time for PlayStation Call of Duty fans. Bloomberg initially reported the game would remain on the PlayStation “for at least the next two years,” hinting that Sony’s deal with Call of Duty could expire in 2024.
That led to Microsoft publically saying in February that it’s committed to keeping COD “available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future.”
Again, “several years” doesn’t nail down an exact number of years that PlayStation owners can look forward to playing COD, but it does seem like Microsoft is committed to keeping the franchise multi-platform.
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Some believe Phil Spencer is speaking publically to ease fears as regulators continue to analyze Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision.
Just recently, lawyers for both Microsoft and Sony have both stressed the importance of Call of Duty as a franchise in letters sent to Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) regulator that was made public.
Sony argues that it would be more difficult to make a franchise that rivals COD’s popularity “as a gaming category on its own.” Microsoft countered by stating it COD is not as important as its rivals are making it out to be while adding it “would simply not be profitable” to make the game an Xbox exclusive.
Interesting argument from Microsoft.
As of now, the Microsoft/Activision acquisition has hit a bit of a roadblock with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) who has announced it intends to further investigate the deal.
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Photo: Activision / Call of Duty
