Call of Duty is staying on PlayStation platforms
While it seems Microsoft's Activision acquisition will push through, Call of Duty games will still be released on PlayStation.
It’s been a long road for Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The $75 billion merger was a monumental moment for what it could mean for the market. So much so that both Sony and certain regulators were expressing their concern regarding its implications. A monopoly on Cloud services was a major factor for the pushback that Microsoft has been dealing with for so long and for Sony, it was the potential loss of gigantic franchises such as Call of Duty on PlayStation platforms. Luckily, it was recently announced that Microsoft has struck a deal with Sony saying that any and all Call of Duty games will continue to release on PlayStation platforms.
Microsoft Gaming Head Phil Spencer announced on his personal Twitter account that “Microsoft and PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.”
We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and @PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 16, 2023
Spencer and the rest of the prominent heads at Microsoft have always been vocal about their disinterest in creating exclusives and that the majority of Activision Blizzard’s franchises would remain multi-platform.
PlayStation on the other hand, has been very aggressive in their console exclusive offerings ever since the PS4 console generation with titles like God of War, The Last of Us, and Spider-Man. It’s no secret that the majority of gamers have chosen to play on PlayStation rather than Xbox consoles. Most of the sales of titles like Diablo 4 and Modern Warfare 2 are on the PS5. Sony losing Activision Blizzard games on their platform would be a huge blow.
Now that Microsoft and Sony seem to have shaken hands about this whole thing, it would seem like the acquisition would be completed any day now. Sony has been a major roadblock for this deal and now that both tech companies are square, regulators will have a much easier time making a decision in favor of Microsoft.
It’s exciting to see the possibilities after the acquisition of Activision Blizzard is complete. Xbox’s GamePass subscription is looking to have one heck of a library upgrade should franchises like Call of Duty, Diablo, StarCraft, and Warcraft be available on day one.