In January 2022, Microsoft surprised the gaming world by making it public that it intends to buy out Activision Blizzard. For almost 70 billion US dollars, the Xbox manufacturer wants to take over the publisher including development studios behind Call of Duty. However, the takeover still has to be approved by various authorities. In order to obtain the necessary approvals, a document was submitted to the Business Acquisitions and Authorizations Commerce Commission. In this document, Microsoft claims that Activision-Blizzard does not own any must-haves at all. Competitor Sony, on the other hand, is worried and officially registers concerns.

Is Call of Duty the deciding factor for buying a new Playstation 5?

So the Japanese consider the Call of Duty game series a triple-A blockbuster, as an entry in the Brazilian government points out. Say, Activision-Blizzard very well has must-haves. According to the Playstation manufacturer, Call of Duty has such an important meaning that whether or not someone buys a Playstation depends on it. Microsoft, on the other hand, asserts that nothing will change with the existing game series with a large community, such as Call of Duty. Call of Duty will still be available on the Playstation 5 in the future. Microsoft wants to proceed in the same way as Minecraft, which is also available on different platforms.

Sony, on the other hand, fears that fewer Playstation consoles could be sold, as the exclusive in-game content on Call of Duty will be dropped if the takeover happens. After all, there are always DLCs for the shooter series that are (time-) exclusive and only playable on Playstation 4 or PS5. On October 28, a reboot to Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 will be released, both on PC and Playstation as well as Xbox. In an entire decade, Call of Duty was the best-selling first-person shooter.

Also worth reading: Microsoft justifies acquisition: ‘nothing unique’ about Activision Blizzard games

Collection on the proposed Activision-Blizzard acquisition:

• Since the letter of intent in January 2022, the review on the possible acquisition of Activision-Blizzard by various authorities has been ongoing.
• Microsoft now claims that Activision-Blizzard would not own any “must-haves” at all.
• Sony, on the other hand, sees things differently and calls the Call of Duty series not only a blockbuster, but even a reason to buy a Playstation 5.
• Microsoft, on the other hand, promises that nothing will change with the existing game series with a large community, such as Call of Duty.

Source: Eurogamer