Since the announcement of the Activision Blizzard buyout by Microsoft back in January, Microsoft has reiterated its intention to act in good faith regarding big-name franchises like Call of Duty on platforms other than Xbox. This was seen in Microsoft’s recent pledge to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation beyond the current contract between Sony and Activision Blizzard. That deal is believed to cover the next three Call of Duty games.
Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022
Xbox head Phil Spencer has explicitly stated that his company is “committed to making the same version of Call of Duty available on PlayStation on the same day the game launches elsewhere.”
Nonetheless, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has said this week in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, that Xbox’s recent offer was “inadequate on many levels.”
The offer in question was a “signed agreement to Sony to guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation, with feature and content parity, for at least several more years.”
Ryan’s full response reads as follows,
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.
We want to know: what is your take on all this? Is Jim Ryan being reasonable in his expectations of Xbox? Or do you think it ironic that a brand (PlayStation) that has largely built its success on exclusivity of high-profile games is now crying foul?—even with Microsoft’s continued promises of multiplatform support for Call of Duty. Let us know in the comments.
