{"id":4906,"date":"2022-01-20T23:43:07","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T23:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/20\/xbox-boss-wants-to-keep-call-of-duty-on-playstation-following-activision-blizzard-acquisition\/"},"modified":"2022-01-20T23:43:07","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T23:43:07","slug":"xbox-boss-wants-to-keep-call-of-duty-on-playstation-following-activision-blizzard-acquisition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/20\/xbox-boss-wants-to-keep-call-of-duty-on-playstation-following-activision-blizzard-acquisition\/","title":{"rendered":"Xbox boss wants to ‘keep Call of Duty on PlayStation’ following Activision Blizzard acquisition"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Phil Spencer, longtime Xbox boss and newly appointed \u201cCEO of Microsoft Gaming,\u201d says the company has no intentions of taking\u00a0Call of Duty\u00a0<\/em>off of PlayStation following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.<\/p>\n

On Twitter, Spencer tweeted that he had \u201cgood calls\u201d with Sony leaders this week about the future of Activision Blizzard\u2019s games on PlayStation.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d said Spencer of these calls.<\/p>\n

On January 18th, Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for a staggering $68.7 billion USD<\/a> (about $85.9 billion CAD). At the time, it was unclear what this would mean for titles that have historically been multiplatform, like\u00a0Call of Duty<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Amid this uncertainty, Bloomberg<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>reported that Microsoft planned to keep some games available on PlayStation while making others Xbox and PC exclusive. More recently, a Sony spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/a>that \u201cwe expect that Microsoft will abide by contractual agreements and continue to ensure Activision games are multiplatform.\u201d<\/p>\n

What does this actually mean?<\/h2>\n

Given that the acquisition isn\u2019t expected to be completed until fiscal year 2023, it\u2019s impossible to say at this time whether Spencer is being truthful. For example, in the case of ZeniMax, Microsoft\u2019s last big gaming purchase, Bethesda subsidiary Arkane Studios\u2019 most recent game, Deathloop<\/em>, was legally required<\/a> to release exclusively on PlayStation 5 and PC in 2021.<\/p>\n

However, Arkane\u2019s next game, this summer\u2019s Redfall<\/em><\/a>, was later confirmed to be an Xbox and PC exclusive. Given that we don\u2019t the exact nature of \u201ccontractual agreements\u201d for\u00a0Call of Duty<\/em>, it\u2019s possible that Xbox continues to release these games for some period but then, when these deals expire, shift to Xbox-only releases.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth mentioning that some industry experts, including reliable\u00a0VentureBeat<\/em> reporter Jeff Grubb<\/a>, have speculated that Xbox might take a hybrid approach when it comes to platform releases. In other words, they theorized that the massively popular free-to-play battle royale game Call of Duty: Warzone\u00a0<\/em>would remain on all platforms (especially amid rumours of a mobile version<\/a>) while the main annualized entries could become Xbox\/PC exclusive.<\/p>\n

Of course, Activision Blizzard also owns a wealth of properties beyond Call of Duty <\/em>that have appeared on PlayStation, including\u00a0Overwatch<\/em>,\u00a0Diablo,<\/em>\u00a0Crash Bandicoot\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Spyro the Dragon<\/em>. It\u2019s possible that\u00a0Call of Duty\u00a0<\/em>remains multiplatform (either fully or only to some degree) while other franchises see Xbox-only releases. That would stay consistent with what Spencer is saying now \u2014 he only mentioned Call of Duty <\/em>\u2014 while still allowing for other properties to become Xbox exclusive.<\/p>\n

It should be noted, though, that Xbox\u2019s current approach deemphasizes the need for a specific piece of hardware to play its first-party games. Outside of native releases on Xbox consoles and PC, Xbox Game Studios titles like\u00a0Halo Infinite\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Forza Horizon 5\u00a0<\/em>are playable on mobile devices via Xbox Game Pass\u2019 Cloud Gaming service. Further, the company has confirmed plans to bring this streaming service to other devices, like streaming sticks and apps for TVs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Therefore, even if\u00a0Call of Duty\u00a0<\/em>went \u201cXbox exclusive,\u201d the game be playable for PlayStation owners, in theory, via streaming on one of several devices they potentially already own. Streaming isn\u2019t as good as playable natively, of course, but it would give some options besides dropping hundreds of dollars on an Xbox console or PC.<\/p>\n

Another big question pertains to how Microsoft will handle Activision Blizzard\u2019s allegedly rampant workplace misconduct<\/a>. The company, particularly CEO Bobby Kotick, has been accused of fostering a \u201cfrat boy\u201d culture that regularly led to the mistreatment, including but not limited to sexual abuse, of women. Many have called for Kotick to resign, although he reportedly won\u2019t do so until after the acquisition closes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, though, it\u2019s too early to say either way regarding exclusivity and company reform. What we do know, though, is Activision Blizzard and Microsoft will operate independently for at least another year. That means that the former\u2019s imminent slate of games, including this year\u2019s inevitable annual Call of Duty<\/em>, will definitively release on PlayStation. Likewise, Microsoft will not be able to make any changes at Activision for the time being.<\/p>\n

Source: @XboxP3<\/a><\/p>\n

Image credit: Activision<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n