According to a Sony spokesperson, the manufacturer seems to expect Activision games to continue to be released on all platforms, even after the acquisition is finalized, which will take place over the next year. tax from Microsoft (between July 2022 and June 2023). “We expect Microsoft to honor contractual agreements and continue to ensure Activision games are cross-platform“, commented the spokesperson to the Wall Street Journal.
However, this statement remains rather vague and it is difficult to say exactly how far the “contractual agreements” mentioned here extend. While a game like Starfield was undoubtedly in development on the PlayStation 5, Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda quickly changed that and turned the game into an Xbox Series and PC exclusive. Conversely, Microsoft has effectively respected the agreements made between Bethesda and Sony regarding the temporary exclusives of Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo.
As we said again yesterday, the future of the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation is necessarily a major concern for the manufacturer. Preferred commercial partner of PlayStation since 2015, Call of Duty is the top seller on PlayStation in the United States every year and is one of the most important third-party franchises for the manufacturer alongside FIFA, GTA and Fortnite, to name a few. the most popular. Activision also owns franchises with strong ties to PlayStation history such as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.
Note that not all analysts agree on what Microsoft will do. “Even if it will not make this choice immediately, it is very likely that Microsoft will eventually transform Call of Duty into an exclusive franchise for its platforms. It didn’t pay such a sum to continue powering competing consoles“, believes Serkan Toto of Kantan Games. Conversely, David Cole of DFC Intelligence is wary of the impact that this decision would have in the eyes of the competition authorities. “The big question is whether COD becomes a Microsoft exclusive. For now, I don’t think that’s the case. For starters, it would be difficult to push through regulators if they want to lock in competition“, he says.
We will honor all existing commitments after the acquisition. Similar to Microsoft’s acquisition of Minecraft, we have no intention of removing any content from the platforms where it exists today.
As in the weeks following the announcement of the takeover of Bethesda studios, Microsoft remains rather evasive about the strategy it will employ with future Activision Blizzard games, beyond the obvious promise to always enrich its subscription. Gamepass. A Bloomberg article reports that Microsoft intends to release “certain” Activision Blizzard games for PlayStation yet. “Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms and we plan to continue supporting these communities in the future.“, also commented Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming.
At a minimum, we understand that games already available on Sony machines, such as Call of Duty: Warzone, will probably not be removed, in the same way that a game like The Elder Scrolls Online is still powered on PlayStation. Activison confirms this in black and white in a document sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the stock market watchdog in the United States. “We will honor all existing commitments after the acquisition. As with Microsoft’s acquisition of Minecraft, we have no intention of removing any content from the platforms where it exists today.“, can we read.
The future remains uncertain, however, and the announcement of this acquisition shook investors to the point of seeing Sony Corporation’s share price fall by 12.8% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday, which represents a capitalization loss of 20 billion dollars and the biggest fall in the title for 6 years.