Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has vowed to keep the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation for “several years” on top of Sony’s existing contract with Activision.exec shared this edgesaying that Microsoft has done a good job with the contract.
Spencer said Microsoft sent Sony a “signed assurance” in January that Call of Duty would continue to be released on PlayStation “for at least a few more years than the current Sony contract.”
Spencer said the deal was “far beyond typical gaming industry agreements.” The PlayStation version of Call of Duty will also have “feature and content parity” with the Xbox version, he added.
What happens after those “a few more years” remains to be seen. Plus, it’s all pending Microsoft’s approval to acquire Activision Blizzard. Both companies approved the deal internally, and it is now under scrutiny by regulators around the world.
Just recently, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority said it was “concerned” that Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard could “significantly undercut” competition for online sales of consoles, subscription services and cloud gaming. Spencer responded that the proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard was not about limiting who could play its games and use its services — it was about growth.
Specifically, Call of Duty is getting a lot of attention in the ongoing back-and-forth between Microsoft and Sony. As far as Sony is concerned, it believes the Call of Duty franchise is so large that it represents “a separate gaming category,” though Microsoft doesn’t quite think so.
When Microsoft acquired ZeniMax, the company said it would honor the existing deal, which is why the Deathloop remains a PlayStation-exclusive console. However, games like Starfield and Redfall will be Xbox exclusives on consoles and released on PC.
The next three Call of Duty games will reportedly be released on the PlayStation, but what happens after that is unknown. The next Call of Duty game is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, which will be released in October. Sony’s exclusivity deal with Activision is still in effect this year, which is why PlayStation owners can get their first crack at the beta, which begins on September 16.
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