Microsoft’s Xbox boss Phil Spencer has made the most far-reaching promise to date about keeping Call of Duty on Sony’s platform – there’s a PlayStation to ship to. ”
The future of Call of Duty is a major obstacle to Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Unsurprisingly, Sony is concerned about Microsoft dedicating a blockbuster series to the Xbox.Microsoft claims it has no such intentions (opens in new tab)But these commitments used to have some timeframe.For example, in September Microsoft guaranteed Call of Duty on PlayStation for “at least a few more years from the current Sony contract.” said (opens in new tab).
Perhaps Microsoft is facing more resistance than expected from regulators. Whatever the reason, Spencer made basically unlimited promises while speaking on this podcast.
“We’re not taking Call of Duty from PlayStation. We know it’s not exactly what you asked for, but we just want to punch it in the nose, so that’s not our intention.” said Spencer. “Our intention is not to do that, but to continue to ship Call of Duty on PlayStation as we’ve done with Minecraft for as long as there’s a PlayStation to ship to. We owned it. .
“We have expanded the places people can play Minecraft. can be done.”
Spencer also touched on the topic of Game Pass, another potential topic of discussion. (opens in new tab) He didn’t mention the Call of Duty series by name, but it was with Sony. “For Xbox itself, which has invested in our console, I think the biggest addition is having some great games coming to Game Pass,” he said. “Like I said, this isn’t about separating those communities from other platforms, but we want to be a great place for people to see those games.
This is not a legally binding contract, but the fact that Spencer is willing to make this kind of commitment publicly (and amid multiple regulatory investigations) shows that Microsoft is willing to back it. It strongly suggests thatDespite the (mostly token) backlash from the UK Competition and Markets Authority and some pretty ridiculous reactions (opens in new tab) Spencer said Microsoft is confident the deal will be approved before the end of the company’s current fiscal year, which likely ends in June 2023.
