Microsoft Xbox: Tired of hearing people speculate about whether or not Microsoft will continue to support PlayStation for Call of Duty? And so is Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft’s gaming division. After much back and forth, Spencer has finally answered the question of whether or not Call of Duty would continue to be available for PlayStation in an interview with Decoder, a podcast produced by The Verge’s Nilay Patel.
PlayStation boss calls out Microsoft over ‘inadequate’ Call of Duty deal: https://t.co/lAvzD0YmAb pic.twitter.com/VoEO9wuRtc
— Kotaku (@Kotaku) September 7, 2022
Microsoft Xbox Boss Ended The Playstation Versus Over Call Of Duty
It’s not like I’m going to take the rug out from under PlayStation 7 and then say, “Haha, you didn’t write the contract long enough,” as Spencer puts it. “Forever” is not something that can be guaranteed in a legal contract.
For weeks, Spencer has fielded inquiries about whether Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard will result in Call of Duty being released exclusively for Xbox.
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
September’s issue of The Verge revealed that earlier this year, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan had received a formal promise from Spencer to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for “many more years” beyond the current marketing arrangement Sony has with Activision. At the time, Spencer had publicly stated Microsoft’s “goal to uphold all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our wish to preserve Call of Duty on PlayStation,” therefore the letter was written around that time.
Sony called Microsoft’s offer “inadequate on many grounds,” leading some to question whether or not the company planned to lock up Call of Duty after a set period of time. Spencer has stated his willingness to assure Sony and the authorities that Call of Duty would continue to be available on PlayStation.
To make a longer-term commitment that Sony would be okay with and regulators would be comfortable with, Spencer has no problem with that. “This concept that we would sign a contract that contains the word forever in it I think is a little bit absurd,” he says.
Some observers on social media have poked holes in Microsoft’s claims, pointing out that the corporation has not committed to anything and that its commitments are only words that need to be in a legal contract or that Microsoft may demand Sony to accept Xbox Game Pass on its platforms. Spencer disagrees that it is necessary to document these details.
Spencer, on the other hand, wants it to be crystal clear that Call of Duty will continue to be available exclusively on PlayStation, without any caveats, requirements, or “intent” tricks from Microsoft.
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First, you can now connect to your Discord servers and voice channels directly from your console! Read on for more details, or check out our blog: https://t.co/Q5UjZliiez pic.twitter.com/hxZSlGmJ9T
— Xbox (@Xbox) November 16, 2022
Microsoft’s filings with the UK competition commission back up Spencer’s claim that retaining Call of Duty on PlayStation is a “commercial necessity for the Xbox business and the economics of the transaction.” Since “Microsoft has been clear that it is dependent on income from the distribution of Activision Blizzard games on Sony PlayStation,” the company claims that it would put its own earnings at risk if Call of Duty were removed from PlayStation if the merger went through.
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— Xbox Game Pass (@XboxGamePass) November 16, 2022
And there you have it; the head of Microsoft’s Xbox division has confirmed that Call of Duty will remain exclusively on PlayStation. Moreover, Sony and the regulators may receive a firm promise from Microsoft to achieve this.
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