Xbox (and future Activision Blizzard) boss Phil Spencer just took to Twitter to announce that he’s had some “good calls” with PlayStation leader ship this week, and that they plan to honor “existing agreements” and have a “desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation.”
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022 Some interesting wording there. Spencer says he wants to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, but which Call of Duties? Warzone? The core games? We know PlayStation has a semi-exclusivity deal with Activision Blizzard that ensures they get some content early, which is probably one of the “existing agreements” Microsoft is talking about. As long as that still stands, it would probably be difficult for Microsoft, legally, to make Call of Duty exclusive. What happens after that agreement expires… we’ll see. The fact is, Microsoft didn’t buy Activision Blizzard to become the new Activision Blizzard. They don’t want to be a big third party publisher, they’re focused on Xbox Game Pass and the changes that will bring to the industry. Whatever helps Game Pass grow, will eventually be on the table I reckon. But for now, it seems PlayStation owners don’t have to worry just yet. The sale of Activision Blizzard to Microsoft was largely put into motion when California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed suit against the former company, alleging widespread gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment at the Call of Duty publisher. You can get a lot more detail on the still-unfolding story here. What are your thoughts on this situation? Will Call of Duty stay on PlayStation long term or is Microsoft just biding its time?
