- Many PlayStation users speculated that some Activision Blizzard IPs, including Call of Duty, will become exclusive to Xbox post Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
- Microsoft Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer, has confirmed that Call of Duty games will continue to be available on PlayStation consoles.
- Microsoft and Activision Blizzard may share details regarding the exclusivity status of other franchises.
Microsoft recently announced that it will acquire Activision Blizzard in a deal valued at $68.7 billion. This led many PlayStation fans to believe that some Activision Blizzard IPs, including Call of Duty, will become exclusive to Xbox. Microsoft Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer, has now confirmed that Call of Duty games will continue to be available on PlayStation consoles. As we speculated in our coverage about the topic, Call of Duty games will stay on PlayStation due to the massive player base on the platform and Sony’s existing agreement with Activision Blizzard.
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.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022
Spencer said, “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.” This confirms that Call of Duty titles will continue to be available on PlayStation for now. It’s unclear whether the situation will change after Sony’s current contract with Activision Blizzard expires. It won’t be surprising to see Call of Duty games continue to release on PlayStation consoles as Minecraft and its spin-off games are available on PlayStation even after Microsoft acquired Mojang years ago.
Now that we know Call of Duty will not be exclusive to Xbox, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard may want to share details regarding the status of other franchises. It’s unclear whether IPs such as Warcraft, Diablo, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Overwatch, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and more will continue to be on PlayStation. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is expected to close in financial year 2023. After the deal gets closed, many Activision Blizzard titles will most likely be added to Xbox Game Pass library.
