Xbox guarantees the PS5 new “Call of Duty” games for only a few years – Sony is angry, puts pressure: “Not enough”

Xbox guarantees the PS5 new "Call of Duty" games for only a few years - Sony is angry, puts pressure: "Not enough"

There’s trouble between Sony and Xbox over the Call of Duty series of games. Microsoft’s planned purchase of Activision Blizzard would give Xbox the rights to the important shooter series. Sony fears that at some point Call of Duty could no longer be released for the PlayStation 5. The PlayStation boss Ryan apparently demands a more extensive guarantee.

This is the situation:

  • Microsoft has been planning to buy Activision Blizzard since January 2022. For that you need the okay from some regulatory authorities around the world.
  • Sony complained about the purchase in August 2022. They say: Call of Duty is unique and has no competition. This implies that if Xbox gets the rights in turn, a market dominance could emerge if Xbox decides to stop bringing Call of Duty to the PS5.
  • Xbox boss Phil Spencer has countered this impression and guaranteed: Call of Duty will come to the PlayStation for “a few more years” beyond the current deal. Spencer also guaranteed “feature and content parity” to PlayStation’s competition.

However, Sony wants the Call of Duty series of games for PlayStation to be guaranteed.

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What is the problem? As we discussed in an article on MeinMMO on September 4th, there were 2 open questions following Phil Spencer’s statement:

  • How long is the existing deal between Sony and Activision Blizzard guaranteeing Call of Duty for the PS5? It is rumored that it will last until 2023, but that is not certain.
  • How long does Phil Spencer’s new guarantee last beyond the deal?

“Not enough on many levels”

This is the new conflict now: PlayStation boss Jim Ryan has now addressed the public (via gamesindustry.biz):

I had no intention of commenting on what I believed to be a private business meeting, but I feel compelled to set the record straight now that Phil Spencer has made the discussion public.

Microsoft has only offered Call of Duty to stay on the PlayStation for 3 more years beyond the current deal.

After nearly 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, this proposal falls short on many levels and doesn’t take into account the impact on our players. We want to ensure PlayStation players have the best possible Call of Duty experience. Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.

Jim Ryan, PlayStation CEO

What does that mean? According to this new information, Call of Duty would probably be safe for the PlayStation 5 until 2026 or maybe 2027 – depending on how long the current deal lasts. Apparently that’s not enough for Sony.

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One would obviously like a longer warranty or other concessions.

Xbox etches: Sony fears a new Call of Duty will come free in Game Pass on Day 1, destroying the PS5’s dominance

Sony is pushing as long as Microsoft has to be nice

That’s behind it: Sony makes public pressure. Now that’s still possible. Because Microsoft needs the approval of the supervisory authorities for the purchase. Once the deal is closed, Microsoft won’t have to concede anything.

Sony apparently wants to get a longer warranty period while Microsoft still has to be nice.

Microsoft is believed to be planning to bring the new Call of Duty game into their “flat-rate gaming offering”, Xbox Game Pass:

Sony’s biggest nightmare comes true: Xbox boss wants to pack Call of Duty in the Game Pass

Reference-mein-mmo.de