Microsoft has committed to keeping the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation for several years after the completion of current deals between Sony and Activision, according to Xbox head Phil Spencer.
In a statement provided to The Verge, Spencer confirmed that he had sent a signed agreement to PlayStation lead Jim Ryan earlier this year that detailed Microsoft’s commitment to keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles “for several more years beyond the current Sony contract.” This news comes just a month after Sony publicly said that Microsoft’s Activision acquisition could influence consumers’ console purchase choices.
Spencer did not say exactly how long past the current agreements Microsoft would continue to release Call of Duty for PlayStation. Based on the language used by Microsoft and Activision during the former’s $68.7 billion acquisition of the latter, the current deal between Sony and Activision could reportedly expire as early as 2024.
Microsoft said in January of this year that the next three Call of Duty releases are guaranteed to release on PlayStation, along with Xbox and PC of course, including the upcoming release of Modern Warfare 2. With the agreement sent from Spencer to Ryan, it appears that Call of Duty releases after those three will continue to release on PlayStation.
Microsoft’s aggressive acquisition methods over the past couple of years have seen the massive global corporation rapidly expand its roster of developers and publishers, highlighted by the purchases of both Activision Blizzard and Bethesda. Some of Bethesda’s upcoming releases in Redfall and Starfield will be Xbox/PC exclusives.
