PlayStation says that Xbox Call of Duty offer is “inadequate on many levels”. That’s according to Sony Interactive Entertainment chief, Jim Ryan.
Recently, Xbox boss Phil Spencer revealed details in relation to Call of Duty being on the PlayStation platform. This is amidst Microsoft’s pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft’s Activision deal is yet to go through
If the deal should go through, some fans are worried that Microsoft would make the Call of Duty franchise exclusive to Xbox. This is a genuine concern because the Call of Duty franchise has been multiplatform for nearly two decades. Not to mention that the series has featured cross-progression in recent years.
So naturally, fans that won’t or can’t buy an additional Xbox console might be frozen out from the series if they remain dedicated to Sony’s consoles. However, in recent weeks, Microsoft stated that making Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox wouldn’t be profitable. They were perhaps indicating that the popular shooter would remain multiplatform.
Was a deal was struck between Xbox & PlayStation?
Earlier this week while on the topic of Call of Duty and console exclusivity, Spencer revealed that Microsoft had signed an agreement with Sony that would guarantee the Call of Duty series remains on PlayStation. This deal is said to last “several more years” beyond the current agreement with Activision Blizzard.
One might assume this deal would be quite lengthy and in Sony’s favour. However, it seems that assumption might be far from the truth. In a statement provided to gamesindustry.biz, Jim Ryan not only seems far from pleased with Microsoft’s offer but also the fact that Phil Spencer made the “agreement” public.
“Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends,” said Ryan.
He continued: “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.”
Reading between the lines, it seems that Sony is hoping that the Call of Duty series will remain multiplatform indefinitely, even if Microsoft successfully acquires Activision Blizzard. From Sony’s perspective, it would be unfavourable for PlayStation to lose Call of Duty.
Furthermore, and more importantly, losing Call of Duty on PlayStation wouldn’t be very consumer friendly. Especially for dedicated fans that have invested years into the franchise.
Call of Duty exclusivity could benefit Game Pass
I can understand why Microsoft might want to make certain franchises exclusive; however, Call of Duty is a massive money maker, largely due to the fact that it’s multiformat with cross-progression.
As Microsoft previously stated, it wouldn’t be profitable to remove the series from other platforms. However, making it exclusive would certainly draw in those Call of Duty fans to Xbox Game Pass.
Next month, the sequel to the 2019 reboot, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 releases on October 28th for PC, PlayStation and Xbox. However, before it arrives we have the multiplayer beta to look forward to next week.
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Featured Image Credit: Activision Blizzard/Source: gamesindustry.biz