PlayStation will only get CoD for 3 years after current deal, CEO slams Xbox offer
Activision Microsoft CEO Phil Spencer promised CoD would be on PlayStation for “several more years,” but PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan came out and “set the record straight.”
Xbox is still awaiting a decision on its nearly $70 billion Activision Blizard acquisition, but that didn’t stop Phil Spencer from making bold proclamations if the deal goes through.
Spencer claimed, “We are committed to making the same version of Call of Duty available on PlayStation on the same day the game launches elsewhere.”
In a statement to the Verge, Spencer signed an agreement with Sony in January to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for “several more years,” and the Microsoft executive called it “an offer that goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements. “
However, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan refuted that characterization of the deal, calling it “inadequate on many levels.”
PlayStation CEO calls out Xbox over CoD agreement
ActivisionIn a statement to GamesIndustryBiz, Ryan claimed Spencer only guaranteed Call of Duty on PlayStation for three years after the current CoD and Sony deal ends.
PlayStation has had exclusive marketing rights with Call of Duty since 2014. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier confirmed PlayStation’s deal runs through at least Modern Warfare 2, CoD 2023, and Warzone 2 in 2023.
Ryan said “[a]fter almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.”
There is no concrete timeline for Xbox’s acquisition of Activision Blizard, as several roadblocks still stand in the landmark deal’s way.