The shooter series Call of Duty is one of the biggest pop culture brands in the world. For years, the series was also released for Sony consoles such as PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. With Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard, that could change at some point. The head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has now guaranteed another release of CoD for the PS5. But what exactly does Phil Spencer say?
What statement could worry players on PS5?
The head of Xbox gave the site “The Verge” a statement on September 2nd (via theverge):
In January, we made a written agreement with Sony that guarantees that Call of Duty will continue to be released on PlayStation, with “feature and content” parity, for at least several more years beyond the current Sony contract. An offer that goes far beyond normal agreements in the gaming industry.
Phil Spencer
What does that mean? The statement means:
- Call of Duty will definitely be released for PlayStation 5 for several more years – probably for at least 4 more years
- All content coming to PC and Xbox will also be available on PlayStation
The crucial question, however, is: “How long does Sony now have the guarantee that new Call of Duty games will continue to be released on PlayStation 5?”
What is difficult about the statement? Phil Spencer remains intentionally vague:
- He neither explains how long the current agreement from Sony regarding Call of Duty lasts
- Nor does he explain how long exactly Microsoft’s “additional agreement” guarantees its release now
Both key pieces of information in the statement are missing and they seem to be intentionally omitted. Spencer could have also said, “Legally guaranteed, Call of Duty will continue to be released for PlayStation until 202x.”
In the coming years, Call of Duty will continue to be released for PlayStation:
How long will Call of Duty be available for PS5? The “current contract” that Sony has regarding Call of Duty is reportedly set to last “at least” over two more years, i.e., through 2022 and 2023. This was reported by Bloomberg in January 2022 (via bloomberg).
Phil Spencer stated that the new deal guarantees “several more years”, meaning at least two additional years are secured: 2024 and 2025.
If one follows the logic, Call of Duty should therefore be safely released for PlayStation 5 until at least 2025.
Why does Xbox keep Starfield to itself and give Call of Duty to PS5?
Why is the situation so complicated? Xbox decided during the acquisition of Bethesda in summer 2021 that the major, new titles from Bethesda such as Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 will not be released for PlayStation. The Bethesda deal went through smoothly.
For the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft needs the approval of regulatory authorities. Sony has already pointed out: With the acquisition, Call of Duty falls into the hands of Xbox, which could lead to a market imbalance. Because according to Sony, Call of Duty has no competition and will never have any.
If this assessment from Sony prevails with the regulatory authorities, the authorities could prohibit Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Phil Spencer seems to counter this with the promise that Call of Duty will be guaranteed to continue on PlayStation 5 for a few more years.
However, there is a risk that Microsoft only allows Call of Duty to continue on PlayStation 5 for a few years in order to secure approval from regulatory authorities, but then, once the contracts expire, makes Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox and PC.
The “catch” in Spencer’s generosity: Xbox could leverage the acquisition of Activision Blizzard for itself by adding Call of Duty to the Xbox Game Pass on day one:
