Xbox chief Phil Spencer promises not to pull the rug underneath PlayStation in relation to access for the Call of Duty series.
Once more we’re talking about whether or not the Call of Duty franchise will become an Xbox exclusive. Assuming Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard is completed. Yet, Spencer is offering reassurances that the series will still be available on Sony’s console regardless of what happens.
Phil Spencer shares optimism with Call of Duty
As reported by Eurogamer, Phil Spencer was talking on the Decoder podcast. The Xbox chief pledged to make Call of Duty available on PlayStation “for as long as players want to play” the series on Sony’s console.
Back in September 2022, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan said that Microsoft’s offer to keep Call of Duty on its console was “inadequate on many levels”. This is despite Microsoft offering Sony the Call of Duty series for “several more years”.
Furthermore, Microsoft has also previously stated that it would not be profitable to make the popular FPS series an Xbox exclusive.
Elaborating on what Jim Ryan had said, presumably expecting a more long-term deal, Spencer replied: “It’s not about at some point I pulled the rug underneath PlayStation 7’s legs and it’s ah ha you just didn’t write the contract long enough. There’s no contract that could be written that says forever.”
Spencer seems open to a long-term deal of sorts
He continued: “This idea that we would write a contract that says the word forever in it I think is a little bit silly, but to make a longer-term commitment that Sony would be comfortable with, regulators would be comfortable with. I have no issue with that at all.”
One of the concerns Sony has is that CoD fans might be swayed to play the series on Xbox rather than PlayStation. Especially when it comes to Xbox Game Pass. Yet, due to a pre-existing deal, the series won’t be available on Xbox Game Pass for a number of years.
From the outside looking in, in my opinion, Microsoft appears to be quite reasonable. Take for example the Bethesda acquisition. Titles such as Starfield and Red Fall are exclusive with The Elder Scrolls 6 likely to follow. What’s more, Microsoft has stated on numerous occasions that Call of Duty will remain multiformat.
It’s going to be a while until the Activision Blizzard acquisition is finally completed. It’s expected to be finalised by June 2023. So, with that in mind, we’re sure this won’t be the last we’ll hear about this story.
We reviewed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
In our review of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, we said: “The campaign is a huge step down from its original namesake, and the multiplayer has disappointed me on many levels.”
In related news, today is the launch day for not only Season One for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer, but Warzone 2 is finally here!
What are your thoughts in regard to the ongoing battle between Microsoft and Sony over the Call of Duty series? Let us know across our social media channels.
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