The huge deal between Microsoft and publisher Activision Blizzard attracted a lot of attention, but also concerns. PlayStation players feared exclusives. A statement from Microsoft’s Brad Smith should bring relief.
Who is speaking? Brad Smith is one of the bosses at Microsoft and holds the position of “President and Vice Chair” there. He has now spoken out in a blog post on the Microsoft homepage.
There it was primarily about principles concerning app stores and Windows – but gaming was also discussed. More specifically: about the effect of Microsoft’s purchase of Activision.
After the deal was announced, many PlayStation fans expressed concerns that exciting games from the publisher might not land on their console anymore but could become Xbox-exclusive. This included games like the Call of Duty series or also Overwatch and Diablo sequels.
Now, Smith has clearly addressed the topic.
New titles “beyond the existing agreement”
This is what Brad Smith says about the topic: In the post, Smith explains that it is fundamentally Microsoft’s vision that players can play across platforms.
Specifically regarding Call of Duty, Smith says, they have heard the question about Call of Duty and potential exclusivity: “The obvious concern is that Microsoft could make this title available exclusively on the Xbox console, undermining opportunities for Sony PlayStation users,” Smith said.
To clarify: Microsoft will continue to make Call of Duty and other popular titles from Activision Blizzard available for PlayStation as long as the existing agreement with Activision is in place. And we have committed to Sony that we will make these titles available on PlayStation even beyond the existing agreement and in the future, so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love.
Brad Smith (via Microsoft Blog).
So it seems that PlayStation players do not have to worry about possible exclusive titles. Already in January Sony also addressed the concerns and at least explained that there was no reason for concern within the framework of existing agreements – what it would look like afterwards, however, was unclear until now.
However, Smith is not only talking about PlayStation: “We are also interested in taking similar steps to support Nintendo’s successful platform. We believe this is the right thing for the industry, for the players, and for our company.”
It is possible that the Switch will also be supplied with more games – a Call of Duty has not yet been released for the Nintendo hybrid console, for example.
However, that is still in the future. If you are looking for Call of Duty alternatives, here you can find the best multiplayer shooters 2022 for PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, and Xbox
