Microsoft has committed to keeping Call of Duty available on PlayStation consoles for “several years” with parity in features and content, company executives told PlayStation leadership amid the Activision Blizzard acquisition process.
Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft’s gaming division, said the company in January presented Sony with a signed agreement offering to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation with the same features and content for at least a few more years beyond Sony’s existing marketing deal with Activision, according to reporting by The Verge.
Promise made to Sony leadership
Spencer described the offer as extending well beyond typical industry agreements and said it was delivered to Jim Ryan, CEO of PlayStation. He framed the move as continuity for the Call of Duty community on PlayStation, comparing it to Microsoft’s handling of Minecraft after the 2014 acquisition of Mojang, which left the game available on Sony’s platforms.
Regulatory scrutiny and Microsoft’s response
The commitment arrives as regulators examine the potential competitive impact of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. On Thursday, February 1, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) signaled that the merger might warrant a deeper investigation over concerns it could reduce competition—an issue tied in part to Call of Duty’s platform availability.
Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president and vice chair, reiterated that Call of Duty will remain on Sony consoles and said the company is prepared to work with the CMA to address any concerns. Smith emphasized Microsoft’s position that the goal is to make games more accessible, noting the company’s pledge to release the same game on the same day for both Xbox and PlayStation.
Call of Duty and Xbox Game Pass
At the same time, Spencer confirmed Call of Duty titles are expected to be added to Xbox Game Pass. That inclusion could create a competitive advantage for Microsoft relative to PlayStation’s subscription offerings and is likely to be a point of focus in regulatory reviews of the acquisition.
Sources and context
The details above are drawn from reporting by Polygon and The Verge, which documented Spencer’s and Smith’s statements and the offer made to Sony. Existing contractual terms between Sony and Activision remain distinct from the new commitment Microsoft offered.
