After months of tension between Sony and Microsoft over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Phil Spencer announced that he reached an agreement with PlayStation to ensure the release of Call of Duty installments for the next 10 years. This proposal was put on the table by the American company for various platforms and services to demonstrate that there are no intentions of exclusivity. However, the dispute between the companies may have caused wounds that have now resulted in changes that could have future effects.
Microsoft and Sony agreed to 10 years of Call of Duty, but not other Activision games
According to information from Tom Warren from The Verge, Microsoft confirmed that the 10-year agreement signed with Sony | PlayStation for Call of Duty exclusively applies to the releases of the successful Activision FPS. Therefore, it does not extend to the other video games in Activision Blizzard's franchise portfolio. In that regard, it is expected that Microsoft will apply the principle they have made public in their current generation and acquisition strategy, which means that exclusivities or multi-platform releases are analyzed on a case-by-case basis. This implies that there is no guarantee that future games published by Activision Blizzard will be available entirely on PlayStation.
Microsoft has confirmed to The Verge that Sony's 10-year Call of Duty deal is limited to CoD. Microsoft originally offered to keep "existing Activision console titles on Sony”, including future versions of current Activision games on PS till end of 2027 https://t.co/yq4GadNGAi pic.twitter.com/OtmbylAGv7
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) July 16, 2023
Microsoft proposed a friendly agreement in 2022, but tensions changed everything
In this regard, a screenshot of the original agreement that Phil Spencer presented to PlayStation is shared, in which the releases of Call of Duty were guaranteed on the platforms of the Japanese company. However, in the case of other Activision Blizzard franchises, their publication on Sony consoles was guaranteed until the last day of 2027.
Nevertheless, this communication between Phil Spencer and Jim Ryan took place in May 2022, and today's events confirm that Microsoft did not present the same proposal to PlayStation. With that said, it is a fact that the 10-year agreement only applies to Call of Duty, and the rest of the Activision Blizzard games may or may not come to PlayStation from this moment onward.
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