PlayStation fans who love Call of Duty can relax: Microsoft has no plans to turn the gaming franchise into an Xbox exclusive, even though the company is buying Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer tweeted out the news on Thursday. “Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation,” he said.
“Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship,” Spencer added.
The statement echoes what Sony told The Wall Street Journal earlier in the day. “We expect that Microsoft will abide by contractual agreements and continue to ensure Activision games are multiplatform,” a Sony spokesperson said.
How long those contractual agreements last is unclear. But the Call of Duty franchise has been a major moneymaker for Activision, so pulling the PlayStation support would be costly for Microsoft. On the flip side, though, it could drive gamers to the Xbox platform, which is no doubt a key reason why Microsoft is buying up the company. Activision Blizzard games will be heading to Game Pass as soon as the deal is finalized, according to Microsoft.
The question remains if any other Activision titles are going to become Xbox exclusives. In an interview with The Washington Post, Spencer simply noted the Xbox team plans on talking with its developers “about working on a variety of franchises from the Activision Blizzard vaults.”
Microsoft is spending a massive $68.7 billion to buy Activision Blizzard, which publishes the Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch franchises. It also owns series such as Crash Bandicoot and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, which we’re hoping Microsoft will bring to Xbox.
But it’s important to note government regulators could intervene to stop the merger under antitrust grounds. So Microsoft’s deal for Activision is far from done.