It appears that all is not well with the existing deal between Microsoft and Sony as far as Call of Duty goes.
According to Microsoft Gaming CEO, Phil Spencer, Sony is getting Call of Duty for “at least several more years” on top of the existing agreement. In the letter Spencer supposedly sent to PlayStation head, Jim Ryan, Spencer described the offer as “well beyond typical gaming industry agreements.” However, Ryan recently responded with a statement of his own.
Ryan said to GamesIndustry.biz that he initially had no intention to comment on what he claims was supposed to be a “private business discussion” but that he felt “the need to set the record straight” now that the cat is out of the bag.
Here’s what Ryan had to say about Microsoft’s offer to keep Call of Duty on the PlayStation platform:
Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends. 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.
Spencer has played coy about whether Call of Duty, a franchise that has topped the sales charts annually for the better part of the past two decades, will remain multiplatform for as long as possible. After setting a precedent with Minecraft, most are hoping for Call of Duty to follow suit. In an ideal world, Microsoft won’t contradict its earlier statements about how it wants to go against the exclusivity grain.
Then again, judging by how Starfield and Redfall will be exclusive, as will The Elder Scrolls 6 and, quite possibly, Fallout 5, you can’t blame Ryan for calling its fellow tech giant out.
For what it’s worth, Sony isn’t the only one with a similar perspective. Several regulators in and outside of the United States are investigating the Activision Blizzard acquisition. A quick summary of what’s happening right now is that most governing bodies agree with Sony in that Call of Duty is a big enough franchise to give Microsoft an unfair advantage.
In the meantime, Call of Duty fans can look forward to the Next event on the 15th.
