Xbox Head Phil Spencer Has No Issue Making ‘Longer Term Commitment’ To Call Of Duty On PlayStation

Phil Spencer, Xbox chief has said that he is open to discussing a long-term commitment for Call of Duty on PlayStation Consoles. This would be something that Sony and regulators can agree upon. 

He said The VergeIn a recent interview, he said that Microsoft has not acquired Activision Blizzard to pull the wool over PlayStation’s plans. It’s only that they can’t agree on a contract that explicitly states that Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation “forever.” 

Spencer said, “It is not about at any point I pull under PlayStation 7’s legs. It’s more like ‘ahaha’ you didn’t make the contract long enough. The Verge. “There are no contracts that say forever. 

Spencer said that he was unable to create a permanent contract and assured the publication that he would not hesitate to make a long-term commitment in order to address Sony’s concerns. 

Spencer explained that the idea of a long-term contract with Sony that includes the word “forever”, is absurd. However, regulators and Sony would approve of a commitment with a shorter term that Sony could be happy with. Spencer agreed. 

As The Verge notes, the concern over Call of Duty comes from Spencer stating that Microsoft intends “to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation.” Jim Ryan, PlayStation CEO, stated that the contract will only allow Call of Duty to remain on the platform for three additional years. He called this “inadequate on many levels,” citing that it “failed to take account of the impact on our gamers.” 

Spencer seems open to finding solutions. More of Spencer’s words are here The Verge: 

“Native Call of Duty on PlayStation, not linked to them having to carry Game Pass, not streaming. They can stream the version they are interested in. Call of Duty, we could do that as well, just like we do on our own consoles. 

I have no one to blame. It is the Call of Duty Modern Warfare II doing great on PlayStation, doing great on Xbox. You can expect the next Call of Duty Modern Warfare II game to be released on PlayStation and Xbox. [game]. Native users can use the platform without having to sign up for Game Pass. Sony does not need to purchase Game Pass for this to happen. 

Nothing is hidden. We want to continue to ship Call of Duty on PlayStation without any kind of weird ‘aha I figured out the gotcha’ as Phil said ‘our intent.’ “I understand the concerns of some, but I just want to be as open as possible.”

All of this follows news from last month where Spencer said Microsoft intends to put Call of Duty games on PlayStation as long as a PlayStation platform exists. Microsoft and Sony are continuing to discuss this acquisition with regulators, representing their respective sides. It’s evident that Call of Duty, and its role in the future ecosystem, is a major sticking point. Microsoft will close its acquisition of Activision Blizzard if regulators allow it to go through. 

[Source: The Verge]