Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO, Jim Ryan, just called out Phil Spencer. This comes after the Microsoft Gaming CEO publicized what Ryan said was supposed to be a “private business discussion.”
Earlier this year, Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard for $70 billion. Unfortunately, the deal is taking far longer than expected. At the moment, Microsoft is dealing with regulators that are investigating the buyout.
In the meantime, Microsoft has cleared the air concerning whether Call of Duty will become exclusive to the Xbox. According to Spencer, Sony will have Call of Duty for “several more years”. However, Ryan has since responded to the letter that was presumably sent to him.
Here’s what Ryan said in a statement sent to GamesIndustry.biz:
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.
Sony has an existing marketing deal with Activision Blizzard for Call of Duty that will reportedly only last until the next Call of Duty game after Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 comes out. If we believe this, then it’s only a matter of time before Microsoft moves to make Call of Duty exclusive to the Xbox platform. Assuming that the next Call of Duty game launches in 2024, then we could see Call of Duty become unavailable to play on the PlayStation 5 as early as 2027.
Technically, Microsoft is just following the textbook definition of several, “more than two but not many.”
For what it’s worth, this exclusivity deal is exactly what worries Sony and other regulatory bodies. Call of Duty has topped the sales charts for the better part of the past two decades. Microsoft will get several best-selling franchises in gaming if the deal pushes through, the chief of which is Call of Duty. With an estimated 425 million units sold, Call of Duty is a big deal that will persuade more to buy an Xbox over the PlayStation.
The good news is that the deal is all but guaranteed to close, and when that happens, Sony better have a AAA shooter ready to compete.
