Xbox Head Phil Spencer Confirms Intent ‘To Keep Call Of Duty On PlayStation’ After Activision Blizzard Acquisition

Phil Spencer, the Xbox Head and new CEO at Microsoft Gaming has spoken out about the possible future of Activision Blizzard titles coming to PlayStation. This comment comes just days after Microsoft announced that it and Xbox were acquiring Activision Blizzard. 

His comments were vague and follow similar messages to his views on exclusive Bethesda gaming after Microsoft bought Bethesda in 2020. Here’s what he had to say: 

“Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed my intent to respect all previous agreements following Activision Blizzard’s acquisition and that Call of Duty will continue on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship.” 

You can take this tweet in many different ways but it is one thing that is consistent: Microsoft has committed to respecting all existing contracts between Sony, Activision Blizzard. This means, if Call of Duty is released after the acquisition is officially closed, Microsoft seems ready to honour any marketing deals with PlayStation. It has done so for years. Spencer said that Microsoft is keen to maintain Call of Duty for PlayStation. 

But in what way? Are Call of Duty titles already available on PlayStation just going to stay there, while exclusive new games are added? New Call of Duty titles will remain available on all platforms as the previous Call of Duty games for many years. Warzone will remain multiplatform, while Xbox-exclusive single-player campaigns become exclusive to Xbox. These are just some of the questions we have regarding this acquisition and it’s not likely we’ll get answers anytime soon – Spencer can only say so much until the transaction is closed, legally. 

Regardless, Spencer’s somewhat openness here is refreshing. While it might not happen, it seems Spencer is at least keeping PlayStation players in mind, noting that Microsoft has a “desire” and “intent” to not wall off a major franchise like Call of Duty. It will be interesting to see what happens in the future. 

Read about Activision Blizzard’s dead franchises, which we hope Microsoft will revive. Then, see how the $68.7 Blizzard acquisition compares to other entertainment acquisitions. Learn why one Game InformerEditor believes that Sony should create an Xbox Game Pass competitor immediately. 

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