Xbox’s Phil Spencer wants to “treat Call of Duty like Minecraft”
In a live conference on October 26, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer shared his ideas about the future of Call of Duty, including the desire to make it as accessible as possible.
Microsoft shocked the world when it announced the intent to purchase Activision, and as a result, the Call of Duty franchise, on January 18, 2022. Almost a year later and the deal has still failed to progress.
The acquisition is currently being scrutinized by EU regulators who will look to ensure that the massive deal does not deal irreparable damage to the gaming industry by substantially lessening the competition.
Given the cost and overall scale of the deal, it’s no surprise that several authorities must approve it before it goes through. Despite this, Microsoft CEO Phil Spencer continues to share his thoughts on the future of the Call of Duty franchise.
Previously, Spencer stated that Call of Duty would remain on PlayStation following the deal so as to maximize profit. This statement was later refuted by PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan who claimed Xbox only guaranteed three more years of CoD on Sony consoles following the deal.
On October 26, Spencer has spoken out once more, reiterating the plans to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. This time, Spencer went a step further by stating that he’d “love to see [Call of Duty] on the Switch,” as well.
Spencer didn’t stop at just mentioning the Switch alongside PlayStation as he claimed the goal is to make the “game playable on many different screens.” To reinforce his point, he compared the future treatment of Call of Duty to that of Minecraft.
Minecraft is a household name in the video game industry that isn’t specifically tied to one console. It exists as an extremely successful game outside of console restrictions and competition. Spencer suggests that this is how Microsoft views the future of the Call of Duty franchise.
He then went on to exclaim that mobile gaming was a major factor behind the acquisition of Activision and Call of Duty. The opportunity to reach the mobile gaming market with Call of Duty titles is appealing to the CEO.
When comparing the figures Spencer provides concerning people playing video games in the above Tweet, it’s easy to see why the CEO views mobile gaming as an attractive market.
For more Call of Duty content, check out how the new camo system is set to work in Modern Warfare 2, or an overview of the Weapon Tuning feature.
Image Credit: Activision