The Call of Duty shooter series is one of the biggest pop culture brands in the world. For years, it also appeared on Sony’s consoles such as PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. With Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard, that could eventually change. The head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has now guaranteed another release of CoD for the PS5. But what exactly does Phil Spencer say?
What statement could worry gamers on PS5?
The head of Xbox gave the following statement to the site “The Verge” on September 2 (via theverge):
In January, we reached a written agreement with Sony that guarantees Call of Duty will continue to appear on PlayStation, with “feature and content” parity, for at least several more years beyond Sony’s current contract. An offer that goes well beyond normal agreements in the gaming industry.
What does that mean? The statement means:
- Call of Duty will definitely be on PlayStation 5 for a few more years – probably for at least 4 more years
- All the content coming to PC and Xbox will be on PlayStation as well
The key question, however, is “How long is Sony now guaranteed that new Call of Duty games will continue to appear on PlayStation 5?”
This is Phil Spencer, the boss of Microsoft’s gaming division, Xbox.
What’s difficult about that statement? Phil Spencer remains deliberately vague:
- Neither does he explain how long Sony’s current agreement on Call of Duty will last
- Nor does he explain exactly how long Microsoft’s “supplemental agreement” guarantees the release now
So both core pieces of information in the statement are missing, and they seem to be missing quite deliberately. After all, Spencer could have said. “Contractually, Call of Duty is assured to continue to be released on PlayStation through 202x.”
How long is Call of Duty coming for PS5? The “current contract” Sony has on Cal of Duty will reportedly run for “at least” two more years, through 2022 and 2023. This was reported by the site Bloomberg in January 2022 (via bloomberg).
Phil Spencer was said to say that the new deal “assures several more years,” meaning that at least two more years are guaranteed: 2024 and 2025.
So if you follow the logic, Call of Duty should be safe to release on the PlayStation 5 until at least 2025.
PS5: Sony comments on Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard – “Call of Duty has no competition, will never have any”
So why is Xbox keeping Starfield for itself and giving Call of Duty to PS5?
Why is the situation so tricky? Xbox decided when it bought Bethesda in the summer of 2021 that Bethesdad’s big, new titles like Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 would not be released on the PlayStation. The Bethesda deal went through smoothly, though.
Microsoft needs regulatory approval to buy Activision Blizzard. Sony has already given consideration: In the acquisition, Call of Duty gets into the hands of Xbox, which could lead to a market imbalance. Because according to Sony, Call of Duty has no competition and never will.
The danger is that in 2022 Microsoft will only allow Call of Duty to continue coming to PlayStation 5 for a few years to secure regulatory approval, but then once the contracts expire, it will make Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox and PC after all.
The “catch” with Spencer’s generosity: Xbox could take advantage of the Activision Blizzard purchase after all by adding Call of Duty to Game Pass on Day 1:
Xbox etches: Sony fears new Call of Duty coming to Game Pass on Day 1 for free, destroying PS5’s dominance
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