PlayStation is not happy with the conditions imposed by Microsoft so that the Japanese company continues to have video games from the popular Call of Duty saga on its consoles. In statements shared with the specialized media ‘Games Industry’, Jim Ryandirector of PS, has stated that the American technology “has only offered that Call of Duty remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends.”
In early 2022, Microsoft struck a record €60 billion deal to purchase Activision, company that owns Call of Duty and a good handful of other popular franchises, such as Overwatch. The deal is currently under review by regulators, who must decide whether the acquisition could harm competition.
Shortly after the deal was announced, Sony and Microsoft reached an agreement to extend the arrival of Call of Duty on PlayStation for three more years. Possibly, according to ‘The Verge’, the franchise is guaranteed its presence on the console until 2027.
According to the head of PlayStation, “after nearly 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, (Microsoft’s) proposal was inadequate on many levels and did not take into account the impact it would have on our players.” Ryan also noted that the company he heads wants to “ensure that PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.”
With these statements, Ryan seeks to reply to Phil Spencerdirector of the video game division of Microsoftwho recently stated that his company was committed to keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles for “many more years.”
Double-edged weapon
As we have explained, the war saga is one of the most popular on PlayStation consoles. In Spain, year after year, the releases of the franchise end up in the highest positions of the top best sellers, according to data from the Spanish Video Game Association, AEVI. Losing access to the franchise would surely be a serious blow to the Japanese company. However, leaving Sony’s consoles out of the equation could also hurt Microsoft’s accounts.
PlayStation has a community made up of more than one hundred million users who, according to Sony’s plans, will continue to grow over the next few years thanks to the company’s expansion within the field of gaming. ‘gaming’ for ‘smartphone’ and computer.
Giving up these players would mean, therefore, setting aside an important source of profit; both in software sales and in micropayments through the popular Call of Duty online game, Warzone. Microsoft, in addition, could be in trouble if antitrust regulators, in charge of giving the go-ahead to the purchase agreement with Activision.
On the other hand, limiting access to Microsoft computers and consoles can be a significant boost to the company’s services, especially its Game Passwhere the user, in exchange for a monthly subscription, has access to hundreds of top-level video games, including releases from the company’s own studios.