Microsoft explain why Call of Duty will stay on PlayStation after Xbox exclusivity rumors

Both PlayStations fans and Sony itself have expressed concern over Call of Duty becoming Xbox and PC exclusive, but Microsoft have reiterated their claim that the games will remain on PlayStation, giving one simple reason why.

Microsoft announced their shock buyout of Activision Blizzard back in January 2022, with the deal set to close in Summer 2023. While Microsoft previously stated that there are no plans to make Call of Duty Xbox and PC-exclusive, Sony still expressed concern.

As reported by VGC, Microsoft responded to these concerns in a document sent to Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE). Here, they accused Sony of blocking games from Xbox Game Pass and reiterated that it “wouldn’t be profitable” to remove Call of Duty from PlayStation.

Microsoft acquired Bethesda back in 2021, and have already started making their games, such as Starfield, Xbox and PC exclusive. However, in this document, Microsoft insisted that Sony shouldn’t worry about Call of Duty being removed from PlayStation.

“Regardless of how unsurprising Sony‘s criticism of content exclusivity is – given that PlayStation’s entire strategy has been centered on exclusivity over the years – the reality is that the strategy of retaining Activision Blizzard’s games by not distributing them in rival console shops would simply not be profitable for Microsoft,” claimed Microsoft.

Microsoft gave several reasons why they wouldn’t remove future Call of Duty games from PlayStation, but it all boiled down to profit.

“The hypothetical adoption of any content discontinuation strategy would not be profitable for Microsoft and, even if implemented, such strategies would have no competitive impact, for the reasons described above,” concluded Microsoft.

There are also reports that there are contractual agreements that ensure the next three Call of Duty games will be on both Xbox and PlayStation. Rumors suggest that Call of Duty 2024 will be developed by Treyarch, and Activision have even teased a new premium game for 2023.

Image Credit: Activision