- Microsoft will keep Activision Blizzard titles on PlayStation
- “Our vision is to enable gamers to play any game on any device anywhere,” says the statement.
- The company might release Xbox-exclusive titles in the future
Microsoft has released a statement saying it plans to keep Call of Duty and other titles cross-platformed after purchasing Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft Promises to Keep CoD on Play Station
In what will be gaming’s most expensive deal ever, Microsoft announced the acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $69 million last month. Although the deal will take many months to complete, fans have asked many questions about what the company's policy regarding the games will be. Many have speculated that Call of Duty titles will inevitably be transferred to Microsoft-owned Xbox.
However, in a detailed post released on February 9, Microsoft president and vice-chair Brad Smith addressed the concerns many fans put forward. The corporation promises that it will keep titles like Diablo and Overwatch available as cross-platform games.
“Today 2.8 billion consumers worldwide, including more than 190 million Americans, play games, and we expect the global number will reach 4.5 billion by 2030 as new generations turn to gaming for entertainment, community, and a sense of achievement,” Microsoft’s statement says. “Our vision is to enable gamers to play any game on any device anywhere, including by streaming from the cloud.”
That being said, there is a full possibility that in the future Microsoft and Activision Blizzard will create an Xbox exclusive title, be it an original one, or a part of an already existing franchise like Call of Duty or Overwatch.
Microsoft’s Plan For the Next Two Years
According to Bloomberg, Microsoft is planning to bring “the next few” Call of Duty games to PlayStation “for at least two years”. It is still unknown if Microsoft will continue releasing new CoD titles after that period ends.
The corporation seems to want to keep Call of Duty cross-platform, but one might see different policies if one looks at Microsoft’s past. When it acquired Bethesda last year, it promised to retain existing contractual agreements with PlayStation, such as with Deathloop. However, Microsoft still released Bethesda titles, Starfield and Redfall as Xbox and PC exclusives.
In the announcement, Microsoft additionally said it is “taking similar steps to support Nintendo’s successful platform.” This news coincides with the fact that PC giant will introduce Open App Store Principles, which it says will promote competition in app stores as regulators close in anticompetitive behavior.
However, one exception is the Xbox store. Microsoft says consoles are sold at a loss in order to “establish a robust and viable ecosystem for game developers.” These losses are recovered later through revenue generated from the console’s dedicated store.
Microsoft has many hurdles before finishing the deal with Activision Blizzard, but fans of franchises like Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Diablo should be able to play the games on PlayStation and other non-Xbox platforms for the time being.
