The head of Microsoft Gaming, says that the popular shooter series Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation. He also would like to see the game on other platforms.
This is the initial situation:
- Microsoft has been planning to buy Activision Blizzard since January 2022.
- Sony stated in August 2022 that Call of Duty is unique and has no competition, which is why the company complained about the purchase. The reason: If Xbox holds the rights to the series, a dominant market position could arise if Xbox decides to no longer release Call of Duty on the PS5.
- In September, Phil Spencer guaranteed that Call of Duty will be available on PlayStation for “some more years” beyond the current deal.
- After Phil Spencer’s statement, PlayStation head Jim Ryan seemingly took the floor and apparently demanded a further guarantee
Who is the head of Xbox? The head of Xbox is Phil Spencer, whose exact job title is now “CEO of Microsoft Gaming”.
Spencer leads Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business and has worked in the technology and entertainment industry for over 30 years (via Wall Street Journal Tech Live). Previously, Spencer held positions at Microsoft such as “Executive Vice President Gaming” and “Head of Xbox”.
Spencer would also like to see CoD on Switch
What does Phil Spencer say? As industry expert and “The Verge” editor Tom Warren reports on Twitter, Phil Spencer spoke on October 26, 2022, at the “Wall Street Journal Tech Live Conference” about the shooter franchise Call of Duty owned by Activision.
Spencer stated that Call of Duty should remain on PlayStation. Additionally, he mentioned that he would like to see the shooter on the Nintendo Switch in the future and wants the game to be playable on many different platforms.
We will embed the tweet from Tom Warren, in which he quotes Phil Spencer, here:
Tweet translation: “Call of Duty will be available specifically for PlayStation. I would like to see it on Switch, I would like to see the game playable on many different screens. Our intention is to treat CoD like Minecraft.”
This is what Microsoft says about PlayStation: In October, statements from Microsoft circulated where they downplayed their own Xbox. They stated that they rank last among consoles. In contrast, PlayStation is the “largest console platform” and the “undisputed market leader”.
These statements are still about getting the ‘okay’ from regulators so that Microsoft can buy Activision Blizzard. Microsoft attempted to counter Sony’s concerns that a merger with Activision Blizzard would threaten free competition.
