Call of Duty remains on PlayStation despite Activision Blizzard acquisition
On Tuesday, Microsoft announced that it had acquired the controlling stake of the California-based game developer Activision Blizzard. The deal includes both brands Activision, with its Call of Duty and Skylanders, and Blizzard, with its Warcraft, Starcraft, and Overwatch. The acquisition is the largest ever made by the tech giant at $68.7 billion.
After Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Call of Duty games’ future is uncertain for PlayStation users. The deal broke the internet, and the gaming community went crazy over the news. The agreement is considered the most significant gaming acquisition ever made. It even surpassed Disney’s acquisition of the Star Wars franchise.
The acquisition of Activision Blizzard has a lot of question marks at the moment. For instance, Call of Duty games have a long-standing relationship with Sony. They even released exclusive early access to content for PlayStation.
Moreover, the acquisition of Activision Blizzard is a concern to some PC gamers, as it gives Microsoft control over a lot of the popular titles on the platform. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean bad news for the company and PC gamers.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Microsoft Gaming’s new CEO Phil Spencer said that he wants to revive old Activision Blizzard games that were once great. He also mentioned that he wanted to honor PlayStation’s relationship with the platform.
Call of Duty stays on PlayStation
Two days after Microsoft announced its acquisition of the publisher, Spencer confirmed that the popular game series Call of Duty would still be available on the PlayStation.
Spencer also mentioned that he had good talks with Sony’s leaders this week. He stated that Microsoft would honor all of the agreements relating to the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
“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,” the CEO wrote on his Twitter.
This is in line with the company’s previous acquisitions. For example, Bethesda’s Deathloop was exclusive for Sony’s PlayStation 5 after Microsoft purchased the company’s parent company in 2020.
It was widely expected that Microsoft would not make any exclusive titles from the Call of Duty series for the Xbox. Moreover, Spencer mentioned that the company values the potential of a game’s audience more than anything else, especially after looking at last year’s Microsoft exclusive, Halo Infinite.
Impact following acquisition
With the acquisition, Spencer will become the head of Microsoft’s new gaming division and will be responsible for all of the titles from Blizzard and Activision’s back catalog. It’s also expected to trigger more acquisitions in the gaming industry as companies look to remain relevant in the competitive market.
The deal will have a significant impact on the video game industry. For instance, Activision Blizzard is the only third-party developer to generate money from its blockbuster franchises. The company also has a mobile app called Warzone, which constantly prints money.
Moreover, the Call of Duty franchise always releases a new game for consoles (Xbox and PlayStation) and PC gamers every year, generating millions for Activision Blizzard.
