Microsoft and Sony have confirmed that Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation, even after Microsoft has finished purchasing Activision.
After last week’s ruling, Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision is set to go ahead which, amongst other things, will make them owners of the Call of Duty franchise. However, Sony and Microsoft have come to an agreement which will see it remain on PlayStation.
One concern that was raised, both by officials and gamers in general, was that Microsoft would prevent any future Call of Duty games from appearing on a PlayStation platform. The franchise has made over $30 billion during its lifetime which makes it a massive, massive earner.
Sony has previously stated that Microsoft’s initial offer to keep the games on PlayStation for three years was inadequate. However, over the weekend, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer tweeted that:
Microsoft and PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.
Looks like they both shook hands, hugged and agreed to be best pals, right? Not exactly. Neither Microsoft or Sony has divulged a figure but you can bet that a large amount of money changed hands. We’re guessing several million at least.
So, for now, Call of Duty players shouldn’t suffer from Microsoft’s purchase of Activision/ Blizzard. But this doesn’t necessarily apply to any other Activision-owned properties, such as Crash Bandicoot and Diablo. Yes, you can play Diablo 4 on the PlayStation, but Diablo 5? That could be a different matter entirely.
