Microsoft’s promise to maintain Call of Duty on PlayStation is “inadequate on many levels,” according to Sony. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer announced last week that the business is dedicated to preserving Call of Duty on PlayStation for “many more years” beyond Sony’s current marketing agreement with Activision. Sony, on the other hand, is unimpressed, just as Microsoft is attempting to have its $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard purchase authorized by authorities.
Earlier this year, Microsoft was committed to distributing Call of Duty on PlayStation “for at least the next two years,” implying that Sony’s marketing arrangement for the title may end in 2024. This might imply that Microsoft has only offered till 2027.
Sony and Microsoft lawyers have been battling about the significance of Call of Duty in papers presented to Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), and it’s evident that it’s a significant matter for both firms. Sony says that other creators would struggle to produce a brand that challenges Activision’s Call of Duty and that it stands out “as a gaming genre on its own.” Microsoft claims it isn’t as significant as its competitor claims. The truth lies somewhere in the center.
Microsoft may need to provide Sony additional assurances about the future of Call of Duty, particularly while competition concerns over the franchise are being investigated by authorities in the UK, Europe, the US, and elsewhere. Last week, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that it will conduct a more thorough investigation into Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition. The CMA has launched a Phase 2 inquiry, in which it will create an independent panel to evaluate whether Microsoft’s ownership over games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft is harming competitors.
