Microsoft reiterated its commitment to continue releasing Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard franchises for the PlayStation platform, even after existing contractual agreements have ended — ending concerns that swirled following the announcement that Microsoft plans to buy Activision Blizzard.
Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president and vice-chair, said in a blog post published on Wednesday that the company has committed to Sony that future Activision Titles will be released on PlayStation beyond existing agreements, and has extended a similar promise to Nintendo.
“First, some commentators have asked whether we will continue to make popular content like Activision’s Call of Duty available on competing platforms like Sony’s PlayStation,” Smith said.
“The obvious concern is that Microsoft could make this title available exclusively on the Xbox console, undermining opportunities for Sony PlayStation users.
“To be clear, Microsoft will continue to make Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles available on PlayStation through the term of any existing agreement with Activision.
“And we have committed to Sony that we will also make them available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love.
“We are also interested in taking similar steps to support Nintendo’s successful platform. We believe this is the right thing for the industry, for gamers and for our business.”
Analysis: a bigger commitment
Microsoft’s commitments here follow similar comments made by head of Xbox Phil Spencer after the proposed acquisition was announced. They also align with comments made by Sony, which said it expected that Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard titles would continue to be released on PlayStation.
Smith’s comments go further than those past statements, however, revealing Microsoft’s intention to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation even after existing contractual agreements between Activision Blizzard and Sony have run their course. This is the first time Microsoft has explicitly stated it intends to do so.
That will no doubt alleviate the worries of PlayStation fans who wondered whether they’d be able to play future Call of Duty games on their console of choice.