Microsoft is nearing the finish line of its purchase of Activision Blizzard, as both companies await regulatory approval. Once it has approval, Microsoft will be the new owner of Activision, along with the underlying IP that comes with it. Call of Duty will be under Microsoft’s control – which has unsurprisingly upset Sony.
Keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation is a must in Sony’s eyes. It’s worked closely with Activision in the past and would like to keep that streak going. Microsoft and Sony are currently in discussions about extending the current marketing deal. And Sony isn’t happy about it.
Duties are a knockin’
While speaking with Games Industry.biz, PlayStation chief Jim Ryan said: “After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.”
This comes just a week after Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO spoke to The Verge. He said that Microsoft is committed to keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation for “…several more years.” While he’s technically correct, he failed to mention that in this case “several more years” only means three.
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Only the three companies involved know exactly how long Sony’s current marketing deal with Activision is. A Bloomberg report from earlier this year suggested that the deal would expire in 2024. This would mean Microsoft’s offer would keep Call of Duty on PlayStation until 2027.
We’re sure the two companies will eventually stop bickering and come to an agreement. Both companies would benefit by keeping Call of Duty multi-platform. Microsoft would miss the number of customers Sony can offer, greatly. And, well, Sony would miss making easy money.
Source: Ars Technica