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Amid Microsoft’s pending bid to buy Activision, gamers have been concerned that the tech giant—which, would become the third largest game developer in the world if its acquisition is successful—could remove beloved Activision titles from PlayStation and make them only available on Xbox, Microsoft’s own console. According to a Bloomberg report from last month, Activision has contracts with Sony that guarantee several more Call of Duty games will be available on PlayStation. But when we reported on Bloomberg’s findings back then, we still hadn’t heard from Microsoft itself, which is, at the end of the day, responsible for keeping or breaking its promises with Sony in regards to some of console gaming’s biggest titles.
Now Microsoft has officially come out and promised PlayStation fans they no longer have to rush to complete their favorite Activision games. In a new blog post, Microsoft addressed its “growing role and responsibility” as the company inches closer to acquiring Activision, a deal expected to close mid-2023. After detailing its commitments to privacy and fairness in the app store space, Microsoft acknowledged the widespread concern that it could make Call of Duty and other Activision titles exclusive to Xbox. Microsoft went on to state that not only would it keep Call of Duty and other popular Activision games available on PlayStation “through the term of any existing agreement with Activision,” but that it had also committed to Sony that such titles would remain on PlayStation “beyond the existing agreement and into the future.”
(Photo: Fabio Silva/Unsplash)
Microsoft also indicated that it was “interested in taking similar steps to support Nintendo’s successful platform,” but didn’t elaborate on what that would look like.
The blog post offers a bit of relief for those who were worried they’d lose access to their favorite titles come acquisition time (or have to shell out another $300 minimum for an Xbox to keep enjoying them). Previous statements regarding Microsoft’s commitment to pre-existing contracts with Sony were only so comforting, given that companies are already required to fulfill contractual agreements by default. Though we’ve yet to learn exactly how long Activision titles will remain available on PlayStation or how sincere Microsoft’s promises really are as it prepares for regulator scrupulosity, what’s been said so far leading up to the acquisition being finalized is promising.
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