After Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, one of the first questions gamers had was whether Call of Duty would become an Xbox exclusive. If the question seems legitimate, the American giant wanted to quickly reassure the players and Sony that the commitments signed by Activision would continue. We explain this decision to you, which could seem quite strange to some.
Call of Duty exclusively on Xbox? Not at the moment…
While the announcement of ATVI’s acquisition is still very fresh, Microsoft quickly published a press release (source in English) evoking positive communication with Sony. It must be said that the two giants have been opposing each other in a console war for two decades, but this deal should give the American group an advantage. Thus, Phil Spencer (head of the Xbox division at Microsoft) spoke on the subject of the agreements made between Activision and Sony, referring in particular to the Call of Duty franchise.
As a reminder, CoD and Sony have been linked for years via a partnership system, giving advantages to players playing on PlayStation. The latter can, for example, take advantage of exclusive and free Alpha and Beta access before the release of the latest opuses in the franchise. In addition, content is also accessible exclusively (or in preview) to PlayStation players, little extras that may explain the popularity of the title on this platform.
According to the communication from Phil Spencer, discussions with Sony officials have been very positive and Microsoft is keen to honor the commitments made by Activision Blizzard with the Japanese brand. Thus, Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation and the benefits should also last for a few years.
Why Microsoft won’t remove Call of Duty from the PlayStation?
This decision should surprise Microsoft fans (or anti-Sony ones) but it absolutely makes business sense. First of all, the Call of Duty franchise is an important source of revenue for Activision and PlayStation players represent a significant part of the game’s player base. Ignoring this part of the players would allow a rival FPS to immediately find an audience while that the visibility of the CoD franchise would be more limited.
In addition and potentially the most important point, the agreements between Sony and Activision Blizzard are elements that will be studied by the various organizations that will have to decide on the takeover of Microsoft. Without going into details (you can consult our article detailing the impacts of Microsoft’s offer on Activision Blizzard), the takeover will only be effective when several players (stock market police, competition authority) have given their agreement. However, these organizations do not like the idea that a merger or acquisition creates giants in a position of monopoly or quasi-monopoly. One of the key points of this analysis will be to see how Sony can maintain its situation against Microsoft. Compliance with agreements made with the Japanese giant before the takeover is therefore a sign of goodwill on the part of the American group…
However, this takeover should ultimately lead to an advantage for the Microsoft console. If an exclusivity would not be interesting (as mentioned above), the end of a strategic partnership with PlayStation seems foreseeable within a few years. Therefore, if we are not ready to see an Xbox exclusivity for a Call of Duty, Microsoft should nevertheless take advantage of this takeover to give players using its console small advantages when playing future CoDs.