It's been 24 years since the original Xbox launched, but its 'father' says fans are still worrying about the same thing following the latest console tease. 

On February 15, Xbox boss Phil Spencer shared news about hardware, exclusivity, and more in an episode of the Xbox Podcast. During the event, it was revealed that Microsoft is currently working on the Xbox Series X's successor and that it will have "the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation." Several years may have passed between the Xbox and the Xbox Series X, but it seems opinions haven't changed much. 

Seamus Blackley, who created and designed the original Xbox back in the early 2000s, has responded to the news on Twitter, more specifically to the claim that Microsoft is "selling out" following the podcast episode: "Feels like 2000 again! Everyone worrying [that] MS has 'sold out' while simultaneously a group of zealous grognards are developing something amazing in secret. Go go go!" 

This isn't the first time we've heard of an Xbox Series X refresh. Last year, during the Xbox FTC court proceedings, several documents leaked and gave us an insight into Microsoft's future plans. One of the most interesting bits of information we received from the leak was a new Xbox console that's currently codenamed 'Brooklin'. 

The console will reportedly feature a curved design, no disk drive, and is set to release sometime this year. As this is a leak, it's unclear whether Brooklin is the same console as the one announced yesterday. 

Elsewhere in the podcast, Phil Spencer said he believes exclusive games "are going to be a smaller and smaller part of the game industry" within the next decade. The Xbox boss also shut down multiplatform concerns, but did reveal that four Xbox games are coming to other consoles - and they're not Starfield or Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

We may not know exactly what four titles this leave us with, but here's which Xbox games could be coming to PS5 and Switch, based on Phil Spencer's clues.

2023 was a great year to be an Xbox owner, though not without some snags. Early Xbox exclusive Hi-Fi Rush kicked things off in style before Redfall's disappointing launch soured the taste considerably, with many then feeling dubious about other upcoming Bethesda games as a result. It was a relief to see homegrown behemoth Starfield launch to record sales a few months later, followed by more good news for Microsoft when, no matter your feelings on it, the embattled Xbox-Activision deal finally managed to close in October.

That's a lot of movement in one year for Xbox parent company Microsoft. Things are certainly looking brighter for Gaming branch CEO Phil Spencer as we round out 2023, especially when comparing the state of affairs in our 2022 Xbox Year in Review to how they stand today. Sure, Xbox might have "lost the console wars", but it's won plenty of other battles besides – and seems more incentivized than ever to keep that streak going. 

To infinity...

Let's start at the beginning. Teeing off a bumper year for Xbox, January's Hi-Fi Rush made for impressive Game Pass fuel. The largely positive responses to its rock n' roll rhythmic action felt promising as we went into 2023, especially as the first Bethesda game to ship Day One on the Xbox subscription service after Microsoft acquired the studio in 2021. 

That's why Redfall was such a roiling shame. Published by Bethesda and developed by the studio behind Dishonored and Deathloop, how Arkane's vampire-slaying, gun-touting, totally not-a-horde-shooter FPS managed to fall so dramatically short of expectations is something even Phil Spencer could not explain. Like most of us, the Xbox boss was "disappointed" by Redfall in all its buggy, half-baked glory, and promised back in May that efforts would be made to improve things. Subsequent updates might have cleaned it up considerably for the handful of people still playing, but the damage had already been done. The game was critically panned, our own Redfall review deeming it "rushed, unfinished, and unsatisfying". For that reason, it's fair to say that Redfall is an indelible black spot on Xbox's record that sticks out as perhaps its lowest point of the year.

On the plus side, Game Pass is ending 2023 on the up when you look at things numbers-wise. Xbox appears to have done a total 180 on its comparatively slower 2022, as both the Game Pass service and Microsoft's "overall gaming revenue" are up by 13% and 9% respectively (via The Verge) as of this October. Those percentages might not sound massive, but there was one huge culprit behind the service's late-year uptick in subscription numbers.

...and beyond

Enter: Starfield. The interstellar RPG of epic proportions finally launched in September, alongside a slight price increase for Game Pass subscribers. This did nothing to deter people from signing up to play it on day one, though, with over one million concurrent players loading in on release day. It's the first Bethesda Game Studios-developed title to launch on Game Pass as an Xbox exclusive, and with a host of new Bethesda games still on the horizon, it's a strong start.

Bethesda merger aside, acquisitions would go on to be a big deal for Xbox in 2023. The company has bought several developer studios over recent years, but the hot topic was obviously Microsoft's push to purchase Call of Duty publisher Activision. The proposal was unpopular in the eyes of many, most notably with the US Federal Trade Commission, as it pushed back against the acquisition numerous times. Citing exclusivity concerns regarding "financial interests" – in short, that Microsoft might pull games like Call of Duty from rival PS5's game library, drawing players to its own flagship console – emerging headlines sometimes made it sound like Microsoft's bid was going south. 

The two-year long battle ended in success for Xbox when Microsoft succeeded in acquiring Activision in October. Alongside this, Phil Spencer has promised "100 percent parity" for PS5 Call of Duty players going forward. This has been enough to soothe Call of Duty exclusivity worries for now, even though new Bethesda games aren't expected to launch anywhere but Xbox and PC platforms. 

It's been a tumultuous yet impressive 2023 for Xbox, and the coming year promises big things for Series X exclusives – even if we're still awaiting a lot of release dates for the new games in 2024. I'm already looking forward to Playground Games' upcoming Fable remake after witnessing its gloriously crass British humor, as seen in the Xbox Games Showcase trailer this summer. Long-awaited Skyrim sequel Elder Scrolls 6 is reportedly Bethesda's next port-of-call now that Starfield has launched, though fans of the spacey RPG are wondering where their Starfield updates are. I'm also keeping my eyes glued on BioShock Infinite-tinged Clockwork Revolution, Obsidian's Avowed, and the moody gothic folklore of South of Midnight as we pivot into 2024. With so many fantastic upcoming Xbox Series X games in the works, all of the above points to another exciting year ahead for Microsoft Gaming – no pressure or anything, Spencer.

Take a look at our Nintendo Year in Review to see how the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom publisher and its flagship Switch console has fared in 2023.

Xbox players can now see how many hours they've put into their favorite games this year, including Phil Spencer, who is in the top 10% of Starfield players. 

Now that there are only a few weeks left of 2023, Microsoft has launched Xbox Year in Review, which lets players gain an insight into their gaming habits of the year. The service tells players their lifetime Gamerscore, their highlights of the year (including total play time, total games, total achievements, their favourite genres, and more), as well as how they compare against other Xbox fans across the world. 

One of the most interesting examples of Xbox Year in Review comes from none other than Xbox boss Phil Spencer. In a tweet, shared on December 12, Spencer wrote: "Every minute was worth it," along with a screenshot of their results. You'd think - what with being an executive of a pretty big tech company and dealing with the Microsoft Activision acquisition - that Phil Spencer wouldn't have much time to play his favourite games. Well, that definitely isn't the case as his results show. 

It's not too surprising to see that Spencer's top game of 2023 is Starfield. The Microsoft exec has already put 148 hours into Bethesda's RPG, but it's important to remember that he was already playing Starfield back in July 2023 - which makes his numbers a little less impressive. It does still put him in the top 10% of the RPG's active players though. 

When he wasn't playing Starfield, Phil Spencer liked to jump into Diablo 4 as it is his second-most-played title of 2023. With 143 hours in the Blizzard action-RPG, the Xbox boss is only in the top 20% of active players for Diablo 4, but he has unlocked 18/25 achievements for this one. 

Phil Spencer has also put a lot of hours into Pillars of Eternity, with 124 hours logged in the Obsidian game - placing him in the top 5% of active players. The stats also show us that Phil Spencer is a big fan of RPGs which is kind of a given considering his top games. We can also see that he's played other notable Xbox releases this year, including Forza Horizon 5, Remnant 2, Ravenlok, Age of Empires 2, and Grounded.  

Find out what could make an appearance on next year's edition with our upcoming Xbox Series X games list. 

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said he'd be "all in" when it comes to revisiting the company's "trove" of IP.

Speaking during the Official Xbox Podcast, Spencer discussed the recently closed Microsoft Activision deal and reflected on the company's other IPs. "When I think about Activision Blizzard King, you add in Bethesda, you add in Xbox's history, Rare - like the amount of franchises that we now have in our portfolio is kind of inspiring, it's daunting. I feel that we have to be a great custodian for the content that we touch," Spencer explains.

"When you look across all of the franchises that are part of our teams, there's an opportunity for us to go back - even if it's just to recognize the moment and what those things meant in gaming's history and do something right with it," Spencer continues, "If teams want to go back and revisit some of the things that we have and do a full focus on it, I'm going to be all in on that. I think there's just an amazing trove of things that we can go and touch again."

Using Id Software's Quake 2 remaster as an example, Spencer explains that the team behind the 2023 title "did a real good job revisiting a game, making it current, but also not leaving the history behind," noting that he'd "love to see more things like that." The Xbox exec also mentioned games like Raven Software's Hexen as well as Activision's Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk series' but didn't reveal any future plans for any of these franchises. 

Elsewhere in the same interview, Phil Spencer pledged "100% parity" across Call of Duty in an attempt to reassure PS5 players. Addressing not just PlayStation players but also Nintendo fans (Microsoft did sign a deal to put Call of Duty on Nintendo consoles for 10 years, after all), Spencer said: "I want you to feel 100% part of the community. I don't want you to feel like there's content you're missing out [on]." 

Find out what's definitely in the pipeline with our upcoming Xbox Series X games list. 

Activision Blizzard games won't be coming to Xbox Game Pass until next year due to delays caused by the acquisition's lengthy, freshly concluded regulatory process.

Phil Spencer, Xbox boss and CEO of Microsoft's gaming arm, confirmed as much in the latest episode of the official Xbox podcast. 

"When we finished Bethesda, there was this great moment and we were able to put a bunch of the back catalog games and celebrate their history," Spencer says. "The truth of the matter is, with Activision Blizzard King the regulatory process took so long, and frankly there was a lot of uncertainty in that process until really a week before we closed, when the CMA finally came down to their decision, that we weren't able to get in and work with, mostly Activision Blizzard in this case, on that back catalog. So now that the deal is closed, we're starting that work. But there is work, and I think the Activision Twitter handle did put out something that talked about 2024. I think that's accurate."

The statement Spencer's seemingly referring to confirmed that Activision does "not have plans to put [Call of Duty] Modern Warfare III or Diablo 4 into Game Pass this year." However, this statement preceded the actual closure of the deal, and that was all Activision said at the time, only adding that "once the deal closes, we expect to start working with Xbox to bring our titles to more players around the world." Spencer's comments have now ruled out any Activision Blizzard games from hitting Game Pass this year.  

"I would love it if there was some kind of secret celebration drop that's coming in the next couple of weeks," Spencer continues. "There's not. When we think about the new games that are there, I would be straight with people if we were gonna put them in the subscription this year. I know there'll be some disappointment about that. This acquisition is definitely long-term. The fact we're not hitting day one with a bunch of games dropping into Game Pass is a little bit of a downer, but I'm very excited about the future." 

Following Xbox deal, embattled Activision CEO Bobby Kotick will stay "through the end of 2023" at Phil Spencer's request.

Update: According to Axios reporter Stephen Totilo (via Twitter), the Call of Duty deal is set to last for ten years pending the completion of the purchase. That means that assuming the Xbox Activision deal still goes ahead, Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation until at least 2033.

The length of the deal matches those that Microsoft made public earlier this year. As Sony attempted to hinder progress on the merger, Xbox made clear that it had offered a decade-long agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. That was an extension of an initial five-year offer, but several Xbox leads suggested that even the ten-year offer could be adjusted upwards in future.

Original story follows...

Sony and Microsoft have signed a "binding agreement" to keep Call of Duty on the PlayStation ecosystem following the completion of the Xbox Activision deal.

In a tweet this afternoon, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed that a deal has been agreed by the two rival platform holders to keep Call of Duty cross-platform – should Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard close. 

The ten year deal is similar to the one Microsoft signed with Nintendo, or something else entirely – Sony reportedly rejected such an agreement last year. This information will surely be provided in the days ahead.

Still, this is the conclusion of a bitter, months-long battle between the two companies. Call of Duty has been at the centre of Sony's concerns surrounding the merger, with the publisher arguing that the behemoth franchise being controlled by Microsoft would lessen competition within the industry. The signing of this agreement signals that the two parties have found some common ground in the days following the FTC's loss in court to block the merger. 

Microsoft president Brad Smith also commented on the agreement, taking to Twitter with the following statement: "From Day One of this acquisition, we’ve been committed to addressing the concerns of regulators, platform and game developers, and consumers. Even after we cross the finish line for this deal’s approval, we will remain focused on ensuring that Call of Duty remains available on more platforms and for more consumers than ever before."

We're still waiting on the Call of Duty 2023 release date.

It turns out that other studios that Microsoft owns are just as unamused by the Xbox's messaging over console exclusivity as we all are.

As part of the ongoing hearings over Microsoft's deal to purchase Activision Blizzard, several internal documents have been made public for various reasons. Some reveal interesting titbits – Phil Spencer's fear of Sony buying Starfield or Xbox's "final watchlist" for acquisition, including Sega, Bungie, and seven other studios. 

Others are fairly understandable and yet still amusing, like Bethesda Softworks SVP of global marketing & communications Pete Hines asking Spencer what the deal is with being vocal over keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation when Starfield is locked down to Xbox.

As shared online by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier on Twitter, Hines expressed his "surprise" to Spencer regarding the messaging of an Xbox blog post about ensuring "Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love", going on to say it was being read as the opposite of what happened when Microsoft acquired Bethesda.

Also shared during the trial was Hines' email to other Bethesda buds like Todd Howard, getting across a similar sentiment more candidly. Hines expresses "confusion" as Microsoft's messaging over Call of Duty is the "opposite of what we were just asked (told) to do with our own titles?" Hines also mentions that it would have been good to get a heads-up as Howard was due to attend DICE, and would have likely been confronted with the topic in several interviews.

Again, the difference in tone is fairly par for the course when it comes to corporate settings - it's just amusing to see the curtain on games development pulled back to reveal a group chat vs the side chat moment.

Starfield will have physical discs, after all, Bethesda confirms – just not PlayStation availability.

According to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, part of the reason Microsoft bought Bethesda and its parent company ZeniMax Media was out of fear that Sony might make Starfield a timed PS5 exclusive.

Shortly before Microsoft acquired ZeniMax and Bethesda, Sony secured timed exclusivity for games like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Those deals were honored even after the buyout went through, and it was a full year before either of those games came to Xbox, despite their developers becoming first-party Xbox studios. In the hearings over the Xbox Activision deal, Spencer confirmed that there were rumblings that the same thing might happen to Starfield.

“When we acquired ZeniMax one of the impetus for that is that Sony had done a deal for Deathloop and Ghostwire... to pay Bethesda to not ship those games on Xbox,” Spencer said in his testimony, as transcribed by The Verge. “So the discussion about Starfield when we heard that Starfield was potentially also going to end up skipping Xbox, we can’t be in a position as a third-place console where we fall further behind on our content ownership so we’ve had to secure content to remain viable in the business."

This effectively confirms reports that Sony was seeking timed Starfield exclusivity back in 2020, even in the months leading up to Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax and Bethesda. It seems the disgruntled gamers behind that silly 'make Starfield a PS5 exclusive' petition might've gotten their wish in an alternate reality.

Revelations from the hearings today have also included the fact that Xbox hasn't decided if The Elder Scrolls 6 will be an exclusive yet.

The 'Gamers Lawsuit' that was filed against Microsoft by a group of, well, gamers last year has now been dismissed by a Judge due to the complaint "not plausibly" alleging anticompetitive effects.

As shared by intellectual property analyst and Twitter user Florian Mueller, on March 20, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley ordered a motion to dismiss the "so-called gamers' lawsuit" due to the complaint made by the plaintiff "not plausibly" alleging the Activision Blizzard merger "creates a reasonable probability of anticompetitive effects in any relevant market."

The 'Gamers' Lawsuit', which was first brought to court in December 2022, was filed by a group of 10 gamers from California, New Mexico, and New Jersey who all sought to stop Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard due to concerns about it reducing competition in the games industry.

"Why would Microsoft make Call of Duty exclusive to its platforms, thus resulting in fewer games sold?", Judge Corley reportedly asked during the proceedings (according to Mueller), "what is it about the console market or PC games market and Microsoft's position in those markets that makes it plausible there is a reasonable probability Microsoft would take such steps."

In other Activision Blizzard acquisition news, Microsoft signed its fourth 10-year deal in four weeks last week, all to push the acquisition through. The latest deal sees cloud gaming company Ubitus (who is responsible for several Nintendo Switch ports) partner with Xbox which, according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, will allow the company to "stream Xbox PC Games as well as Activision Blizzard titles after the acquisition closes."

Right now, Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal is still uncertain - find out which 10 Activision Blizzard franchises we'd love to see reborn at Xbox if it does go through though.

Microsoft is signing partnerships with just about anyone who'll take them in its attempt to push the Xbox Activision deal over the line, and people are starting to take note.

Yesterday, Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced Xbox's fourth 10-year deal in as many weeks. This time it was Ubitus, a company best known for its work on the Nintendo Switch's cloud-based ports, that got 10 years of access to "Xbox PC games as well as Activision Blizzard titles after the acquisition closes." That news came just a day after a very similar deal with Ukrainian cloud service Boosteroid, and only weeks after partnerships with Nintendo and Nvidia.

Some of those names are significantly bigger than others, and Microsoft is now getting clowned on as social media users invent all manner of fake partnerships with obscure and outdated tech. A couple of posts (one boasting Spencer's seal of approval) describe a deal with Texas Instruments, promising to "bring Call of Duty to a calculator near you."

One post confirms a deal with Tamagotchi, while others are bringing Call of Duty to the infamous chicken-warming KFC console and SouljaBoy's bizarre consoles. 

Others are taking an even more mocking stance, coming up with partnerships for fledgling platforms that don't really exist, but are simultaneously "definitely real and used by actual people." 

While Microsoft's taking a bit of a beating, this is unlikely to be the last we hear of its 10-year deals. A core aspect of its negotiations with Sony is using increased access to Call of Duty for players around the world as a counter to complaints that it'll keep the franchise away from PlayStation users as soon as it gets the chance, or that the acquisition would otherwise give it an unfair advantage, especially in cloud gaming. 

While Microsoft's scattershot tactic is making it the butt of a few jokes, I think it's better than Sony's recent approach of accusations of potential sabotage, reportedly as part of a strategy to block the merger at any cost.  

Ever-opposed to Microsoft's Activision acquisition, Sony claims Starfield's exclusivity shows why Microsoft can't be trusted with Call of Duty.

Microsoft Gaming now owns Activision Blizzard. It's taken almost two years to get here, following protracted legal battles to get the deal over the line. You can read through all of our existing coverage of the Xbox Activision deal below, but for now the important thing is that the $68.7 billion has closed. Microsoft owns Activision Blizzard, and that means some big changes are on the distant horizon. 

I say distant because it's going to take some time for the gears to start turning. Eventually, you should expect to see franchises like Call of Duty, Candy Crush, Diablo, World of Warcraft, and others join the Xbox Game Pass fold – just not immediately. 

Below you'll find our Xbox Activision deal explainer, which we will continue to keep updated as more information comes as the deal closure details are released. 

The basics

When did Xbox buy Activision?

News of the Xbox Activision deal first surfaced on January 18, 2022. Naturally, this is just the first step in a lengthy process for approval, with both the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the European Commission (EC) formally filing complaints to block the acquisition due to concerns surrounding competition in the market. Even without investigations, these massive deals can often take some time to complete: When Microsoft announced its intention to acquire ZeniMax Media in September 2020, it took a further six months before the likes of Arkane Studios and Bethesda Softworks could be officially welcomed into the Microsoft Gaming fold. Xbox has said that it is targeting a June 2023 closure date for its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. 

How much was the Xbox Activision Deal?

Microsoft has said it will buy Activision Blizzard for $95 dollars a share, in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion. This would be the most expensive video game acquisitions in the industry's history, dwarfing the $8.1 million that Microsoft paid for ZeniMax Media in 2021 and the massive $12.7 billion that Take-Two Interactive paid to acquire Zynga last year. As for why Xbox paid so much for Activision, there's a number of factors. Activision Blizzard is a global business, with studios positioned all over the world and with nearly 10,000 employees on its books. That's certainly a factor in the valuation,  alongside Activision's massive share in the mobile market and its ownership of some of the video game industry's most popular and long-lasting franchises. 

Why did Xbox buy Activision? 

There are a variety of factors at play when trying to understand why Microsoft would want to buy Activision. The most obvious is that it gives the Xbox division access (and creative control) to some of the video game industry's most enduring IP – Call of Duty, Candy Crush, Crash Bandicoot, Diablo, Overwatch, Spyro the Dragon, StarCraft, World of Warcraft, and so the list goes on. Not only would Microsoft Gaming profit from new entries to these franchises, but it would be able to use legacy games to significantly bolster the Xbox Game Pass games list. Activision Blizzard reportedly tracks "nearly 400 million monthly active players in 190 countries and three billion-dollar franchises" across its console, PC, and mobile divisions, which would significantly bolster the growth of Game Pass, Xbox's investment in Cloud Gaming technology, and Microsoft's ability to compete with Sony and Nintendo. 

The details

When are Activision games coming to Xbox?

Many Activision games are already on Xbox, because Activision is a third-party publisher. That means that it produces games regardless of platform, as opposed to first-party publishers (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo), who produce games for their specific ecosystems (Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch, respectively).

For example, every Call of Duty game comes to Xbox, as have other notable Activision games; recently, that includes the likes of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2, and Crash Bandicoot 4. Blizzard games are also released on Xbox; Overwatch 2 launched into early access on Xbox Series X and Xbox One, while Diablo 4 is also coming to both consoles later this year.

If the deal goes through, future Activision Blizzard games will continue to be available on Xbox – and day and date through Game Pass – but it remains to be seen if their availability on Sony consoles will be impacted. Activision-Blizzard would become a first-party company within Microsoft, meaning that it would primarily be producing games for the wider Xbox ecosystem. Microsoft has made a years-long commitment to keeping several of Activision-Blizzard's games on other platforms, but it's likely that eventually, those games will be exclusive to Xbox,PC, and Microsoft's Game Pass and Cloud Gaming services.

Will dormant Activision franchises return?

Activision was founded in 1979, and has a wealth of IP and legacy titles locked away in its vault. With Xbox in control of the portfolio, there's every chance that some older (or long-dormant) franchises could make a return, which is something Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has claimed is a "pretty exciting" prospect. Naturally, we all have our dream series revivals, and we have already made a wishlist of Activision Blizzard franchises we want to see reborn at Xbox. 

When will Activision games come to Game Pass?

There are already hundreds of video games available as part of the full Xbox Game Pass games list, and that's expected to grow following the completion of the deal. However, there is no timeline for how long that may take. When Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media, it took just a few days for 20 of the biggest Bethesda games to join the service – and more have joined since. Microsoft has said that it expects franchises like Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Diablo to join Xbox Game Pass eventually, although the arrival of Call of Duty may be delayed by "a number of years" due to ongoing negotiations with Sony. While you wait for those, here's our pick of the best Xbox Game Pass games to play today.

What the publishers have said

What has Microsoft said? 

Microsoft has maintained that the goal is making Activision Blizzard's catalog more accessible. While Game Pass will be stronger with Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Diablo included, Spencer noted as far back as Microsoft's first blog on the deal that "Activision Blizzard games are enjoyed on a variety of platforms". As such, the plan is "to continue to support those communities moving forward".

A question of competitive  fairness within the gaming market has also arisen, with Microsoft previously adding the likes of Bethesda to its ranks. To that, the company has pointed out that, should the deal go through, Microsoft would be the third-largest gaming company revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.

What has Sony said? 

Sony doesn't appear convinced Microsoft's pledges to keep games like Call of Duty readily available are genuine. As various international regulators scrutinize the deal, we've seen plenty of back and forth between the pair. For example, throughout the UK's investigation into the agreement, Microsoft accused the competition regulator of relying on Sony's objections, namely "misplaced" concerns over Call of Duty. 

In a statement to Reuters, a Sony spokesperson reiterated that the deal was "bad for competition, bad for the gaming industry, and bad for gamers themselves". "This deal would give Microsoft's Xbox ecosystem a unique combination of tech and content, and hence a dominant position in gaming, with devastating consequences for consumers, independent developers, and Sony itself," they said. 

More broadly, a lot of concern stems from Call of Duty's continued availability. Sony reportedly said that Microsoft isn't offering parity, with the Xbox creator answering that a 10-year deal has been put up. The importance of the series to gaming has also been a constant, with Sony playing it up while Microsoft plays it down.

What has Nintendo said?

Nintendo has been largely silent on the Xbox Activision deal. While Sony and Microsoft continue to trade words and legal filings, the Switch manufacturer has been holding conversations behind-closed-doors. Microsoft president Brad Smith has confirmed that the pair have signed a "binding 10-year contract to bring Xbox games to Nintendo's gamers, should the deal close. This would of course include Call of Duty – the franchise has appeared on Nintendo consoles in the past, although not for a long while; a Wii U port of Call of Duty: Ghosts arrived in 2013. 

What has Valve said?

Despite being offered a similar deal to Nintendo, Valve president Gabe Newell has said that it "wasn't necessary" as he's okay with the storefront's current relationship with Activision over Call of Duty and Microsoft. "We're happy that Microsoft wants to continue using Steam to reach customers with Call of Duty when their Activision acquisition closes," he told Kotaku in a statement." Microsoft has been on Steam for a long time and we take it as a signal that they are happy with gamers' reception to that and the work we are doing. Our job is to keep building valuable features for not only Microsoft but all Steam customers and partners."

The CMA decision

In April 2023, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority blocked the deal in its home country, citing Microsoft's strength in cloud gaming. Microsoft has suggested that it might be forced to cease trading in the UK if the decision – which it is appealing – is upheld. 

The FTC Trial

In the final weeks of June, Microsoft went to trial against the US Federal Trade Commission's injunction against the closure of its deal. The trial aimed to determine whether the deal could be finalized before its July 18 deadline. Microsoft claimed that if it lost, it could potentially lead to years of litigation that might kill the merger.

Over the course of the trial, many senior figures, including PlayStation's Jim Ryan, Activision's Bobby Kotick, Xbox heads Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, were questioned, offering detailed information about the current state of the games industry. It's been hard to sift through that flood of info, but here are some of the standout headlines:

• Microsoft's CEO doesn't like console exclusives
•  The Last of Us Part 2 and Horizon Forbidden West both cost more than $200 million to develop 
• PlayStation boss claims publishers "do not like Game Pass" 
• Sony expected Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 to launch on PlayStation, but noted that the exclusivity isn't anti-competitive. 
• And it was potential PlayStation exclusivity for Starfield that kicked off Microsoft's purchase of Bethesda. 
• Microsoft thinks the PS6 and next Xbox will launch in 2028, and knows Xbox lost the console wars 

So, what happens next?

Whether Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard completes remains unknown. Microsoft will need to wait for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, European Commission, UK Competition and Markets Authority to complete its investigations, while there are ongoing legal challenges in various states in the United States which may need to be resolved. 

As it stands, Microsoft will continue to make its case, and everybody else will continue to argue their positions until the last. The deal is expected to close, one way or the other, by the end of Spring 2023. So we will of course keep you up to date on any new information as we receive it. 

Looking for more on the Xbox Activision deal? Here's our look into what Microsoft's latest acquisition could mean for Activision Blizzard and Xbox Game Studios.

Xbox's Phil Spencer has said there's "one major opposer to the deal" of the company's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, adding that competitor Sony "is trying to protect its dominance on the console".

Talking on the Second Request podcast (via VGC), Spencer added that "the way [Sony] grow[s] is by making Xbox smaller".

"[Sony] has a very different view of the industry than we do," he said on the show. "They don't ship their games day and date on PC, they do not put their games into their subscription when they launch their games."

The comments come just days after it was revealed that the US Federal Trade Commission is suing to block Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, alleging that the deal would "enable Microsoft to suppress competitors" and ultimately harm competition in the games industry. This loosely echoes several arguments raised by Sony in a rebuttal submitted as part of the UK Competition and Markets Authority's investigation of the deal.

“Sony is leading the dialogue around why the deal shouldn’t go through to protect its dominant position on console, so the thing they grab onto is Call of Duty,” Spencer said on the podcast. 

"The largest console maker in the world raising an objection about the one franchise that we've said will continue to ship on the platform. It's a deal that benefits customers through choice and access."

Did you miss Xbox at The Game Awards 2022? You aren't alone. Interestingly, though, Xbox VP Aaron Greenberg acknowledged the company's conspicuous absence from the show and wants you to know that we won't be waiting too much longer for announcements. 

No, we didn't get any specifics, but Greenberg did tease that the team had "a lot planned to show and share about an incredibly exciting year ahead for 2023".

"Appreciate folks are eager to learn and see more. Timing is always key, but don’t worry you will not have to wait too long for what’s next from us," Greenberg added.

Looking at Xbox's 2023 calendar of upcoming games, it's plain to see that there's plenty to be excited about. Bethesda's hyped Starfield is confirmed to be launching exclusively on Xbox platforms during the first half of 2023, as well as Arkane's co-op shooter Redfall, the next Forza game, and - eventually, anyway - Hellblade 2, Perfect Dark, Fable, Avowed, and Outer Worlds 2. No, those titles don't have any firm release dates just yet, but - as always - we'll let you know just as soon as they're confirmed.

Here are our picks for the best Xbox Series X games.

Microsoft has offered Sony a new deal that would keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for 10 years.

That's according to a new report from the New York Times, which cites a direct statement from Microsoft. Microsoft apparently offered the deal to Sony on November 11, and it's still just an offer at this stage. 

The NYT reports that Sony declined to comment on the deal, which is no surprise given that when Microsoft discussed a previous, three-year offer publicly, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan skewered it as "inadequate on many levels" and said he "hadn't intended to comment on what I understood to be a private business discussion." 

Multiple Microsoft executives, including Xbox boss Phil Spencer, have repeatedly claimed that Call of Duty won't be held hostage even if the company does acquire Activision Blizzard. Last month, Spencer said he wants to "treat Call of Duty like Minecraft" and bring the franchise to as many platforms as possible, including the Nintendo Switch if a deal could be arranged.

Reports on this 10-year deal come just days after Spencer said he remains open to a "longer-term commitment that Sony would be comfortable with [and] regulators would be comfortable with." 

Sony has vehemently argued that Microsoft owning Activision would limit options for gamers and give Xbox an unfair advantage in the industry. Microsoft was quick to argue that "it makes zero business sense" to deprive PlayStation of Call of Duty, but of course, that gets into the hypothetical of Call of Duty being available through Game Pass on Xbox but still being a full-price game on PlayStation. 

Modern Warfare 2 was the biggest Call of Duty launch ever for PlayStation, which has surely contributed more ammunition to debates over the value and impact of the franchise. 

Microsoft has made it clear that it wants to bring games like Call of Duty, Overwatch 2, and Diablo to Game Pass eventually. However, Call of Duty in particular wouldn't come to the subscription service for "a number of years" due to a pre-existing deal between Sony and Activision Blizzard. It's unclear how Game Pass factors into Microsoft's new, 10-year offer to Sony. 

Microsoft has also claimed that this acquisition is "really about mobile," leaning into the value of Activision's King, which owns mobile megahits like Candy Crush and has a huge presence on the platform – a platform Xbox is investing more into, with the company now working on its own app store.  

Microsoft's record-setting $69 billion acquisition has been approved by Brazil and Saudi Arabia but faces mounting scrutiny in other key countries, with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority opening a full-blown investigation into the deal. 

Xbox head Phil Spencer has made it abundantly clear that Call of Duty will be remaining on PlayStation consoles.

Appearing on The Verge's Decoder podcast earlier this week, Spencer was once again asked about taking Call of Duty off PlayStation systems, provided Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard proceeds. "It’s not about at some point I pull the rug underneath PlayStation 7’s legs," Spencer began by saying. 

"This idea that we would write a contract that says the word forever in it I think is a little bit silly, but to make a longer term commitment that Sony would be comfortable with, regulators would be comfortable with, I have no issue with that at all," the head of Xbox continued.

Spencer, and Microsoft at large, have been asked numerous times about Call of Duty since it was announced the company would be acquiring Activision Blizzard earlier this year. Last month in October, Spencer revealed his wish to treat Call of Duty like Minecraft, and put it on as many platforms as possible despite the acquisition (Microsoft previously acquired Minecraft developer Mojang). 

Despite this, PlayStation head Jim Ryan called Spencer's offer of keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation platforms "inadequate on many levels." Countering this, Microsoft then asserted that even if every Call of Duty player switched to Xbox consoles, PlayStation would supposedly still have a bigger audience. 

Considering Modern Warfare 2 just had the biggest Call of Duty launch ever on a PlayStation console last month in October, perhaps it's not surprising Spencer wishes to keep the series on Sony's platform. 

Activision Blizzard's president recently asserted he was confident the Microsoft acquisition would close by June 2023. 

Xbox boss Phil Spencer is optimistic that Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard will ultimately close.

In an interview with Same Brain, Spencer reaffirmed that Microsoft expects the deal to close by the end of its fiscal year concluding June 30, 2023, which was the original closing target at the time the buyout was announced.

"I'm pretty confident in the deal closing," Spencer said. "I think [regulators] are asking good, honest questions about a big deal ... it's definitely the biggest deal I've ever done." He later added that he's "confident and excited" in spite of the fact that the transaction "keeps [him] up at night sometimes."

Back in August, Saudi Arabia became the first governmental body to approve Microsoft's Activision Blizzard buyout and Brazil followed suit in early October with a pointed rejection of Sony's anti-competition argument. The deal still faces scrutiny from governmental regulators around the world, including in the US and the UK with the latter's Competition and Markets Authority recently expressing concern that the deal "could substantially lessen competition in gaming consoles."

For its part, Microsoft has refuted Sony's argument that Xbox buying Activision Blizzard would be harmful to competition. Microsoft also built a whole webpage arguing that the buyout is actually good for players, creators, and the gaming industry at large. The gaming giant previously brushed off concerns from the New Zealand Commerce Commission by saying Activision Blizzard doesn't make "must have" games.

In the new interview, Spencer also reaffirmed that Microsoft's intent isn't to make Call of Duty an Xbox-exclusive franchise. On the contrary, just last week he said he'd like to "treat Call of Duty like Minecraft" and bring it to as many platforms as possible.

As everyone starts deploying for Modern Warfare 2, here are the best Call of Duty games released so far.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the biggest launch in the franchise’s history, at least on PlayStation platforms. 

The official PlayStation account confirmed on Twitter that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the biggest release in the franchise, including day one sales, as well as pre-orders. No numbers were shared, but considering the immense size of the franchise in the past, this is a huge win. 

The series has needed it too. In recent years, the series had started to hit declining sales with Activision not being shy in saying it was disappointed in Call of Duty: Vanguard last year. At the time it claimed that the game failed because audiences didn’t like the World War 2 setting, and with the Modern Warfare 2 release being such a hit, maybe they weren’t wrong.

That said, it’s equally likely that Modern Warfare 2 is doing better as it’s reviewing better and is a sequel to one of the better Call of Duty games in a decade. The true proof will be in if the game has staying power through the holiday period. 

This also makes a great case for Xbox head Phil Spencer to keep Call of Duty multiplatform if and when the Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger is confirmed. Spencer has recently said that he wants to treat Call of Duty like Minecraft and have it available on as many platforms as possible, including PlayStation.

Signs of Modern Warfare 2’s success were there on launch day too, as the game had a couple of Modern Warfare 2 server issues with so many players trying to get in at once. That said, the game seems to have levelled out with not too many reported issues over the weekend when it came to playing. 

Looking for something else to play to scratch that CoD itch? Why not check out our list of the best FPS games? 

Microsoft has responded to the CMA's concerns about its almost $70 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition. 

In a statement provided to GamesIndustry.biz, Microsoft said that the Competition and Markets Authority's concerns about the deal are "misplaced" and claims that even if every single Call of Duty player switched to playing on Xbox that "the PlayStation gamer base remaining would still be significantly larger than Xbox."  

These comments seem to be in response to the CMA's concerns that - if the Microsoft Activision Blizzard deal were to go through - "there is a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition in gaming consoles, multi-game subscription services, and cloud game services." 

If you didn't know, the CMA in the UK has sent the Microsoft Activision Blizzard deal to the second phase of its investigation. This means that a panel of experts would look more closely at the deal's potential issues highlighted in phase one. 

"While Sony may not welcome increased competition," the statement from Microsoft reads, "it has the ability to adapt and compete. Gamers will ultimately benefit from this increased competition and choice." In the same story, GamesIndustry.biz reveals that Microsoft is still eager to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles as not doing so would "alienate" the fanbase and "tarnish both the Call of Duty and Xbox brands." 

In other Microsoft acquisition news, last week it was discovered that Microsoft now has a webpage about why its Activision Blizzard deal is good for everyone. It contains several statements from higher-ups at the company including Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, Microsoft Vice Chair Brad Smith, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. The latter of which said in an interview not even a full month ago yet that Microsoft is confident about the Activision Blizzard acquisition, despite the CMA's concerns.

Wondering what's on the horizon for Microsoft? Take a look at our upcoming Xbox Series X games list. 

Microsoft has published a dedicated webpage for its Activision Blizzard buyout and it explains how it's supposed to benefit everyone from players to creators and the industry at large.

"Players and developers are at the center of Xbox," reads a portion of the webpage. "We want to enable people to play games anywhere, anytime and on any device. And developers deserve more options to build, distribute and monetize their groundbreaking games. When we do this, we all win. That’s why we’re sharing more on the industry and how our acquisition of Activision-Blizzard fits into our gaming strategy."

The webpage is relatively bare at the moment and includes a recent Bloomberg interview with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, a pair of statements from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer and Microsoft Vice Chair Brad Smith, respectively, and a table breaking down the benefits of the acquisition.

According to Microsoft, the deal doesn't just benefit Xbox; which now owns and profits from all of Activision's IP; and Activision, which is bagging a cool $70 billion in the transaction - it's also good for us players and the people making games.

The benefits for players include: More games on more devices, "including Xbox, PlayStation, phones, and online," more choice in how and where players can buy and play games, and "alternatives to gaming offerings from the dominant mobile platforms."

For game creators, Microsoft says its Activision deal will allow a bigger platform "through support, investment, and better access to gamers." It'll also afford creators "better revenue and fair marketplace rules through our app store principles." Finally, Microsoft says developers will have access to "greater flexibility in payment systems and the experience they provide their fans."

As for the broader industry, Microsoft argues its historic deal will be good for competition in mobile, "where a couple of big players dominate," and in traditional gaming, "where Sony and Nintendo will remain the biggest." There will also be an "emphasis on positive workplace culture and increased local investment from Microsoft in studios and creative ecosystems around the world."

This isn't the first time Microsoft has defended its Activision purchase publicly. In August, the mega corporation brushed off anti-competition concerns by suggesting Activision Blizzard doesn't make any "must have" games. Despite scrutiny from lawmakers in the US and UK, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently said the company is confident the deal will go through.

Here's why Sony thinks the transaction could have "major negative implications for gamers."

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan says Xbox's offer to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for three years after the publisher's current deal ends is "inadequate on many levels." 

In a statement to GamesIndustry, Ryan addressed the deal which Xbox head Phil Spencer mentioned earlier this month in his own statement on the effects of Microsoft's still-pending, near $70 billion acquisition of Call of Duty publisher Activision. 

"Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends," Ryan says. "After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle." 

As The Verge reported last week, Spencer revealed that "in January, we provided a signed agreement to Sony to guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation, with feature and content parity, for at least several more years beyond the current Sony contract, an offer that goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements." 

Ryan also set his sights on Spencer's statement specifically, stressing that "I hadn’t intended to comment on what I understood to be a private business discussion, but I feel the need to set the record straight because Phil Spencer brought this into the public forum."

Surprisingly candid comments aside, all of this echoes reports from January which alleged that PlayStation would get "at least" the next three Call of Duty games (presumably assuming an annual release schedule, though recent rumors claim the series may skip 2023). 

Microsoft has also repeatedly claimed that Call of Duty will stay on PlayStation "into the future," though Spencer's recent statement on a three-year window was the first to provide official specifics on how far into the future that might be.  

Spencer upheld this stance in an official statement published on September 1. "We’ve heard that this deal might take franchises like Call of Duty away from the places where people currently play them," he wrote in a blog post which also confirmed that multiple Activision Blizzard games including Call of Duty would be coming to Game Pass. 

"That’s why, as we’ve said before, we are committed to making the same version of Call of Duty available on PlayStation on the same day the game launches elsewhere. We will continue to enable people to play with each other across platforms and across devices," Spencer promised. 

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has expressed concerns that Microsoft buying Activision could unfairly box out rivals such as PlayStation and impede future competition in the industry. 

Microsoft plans to add Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Diablo to its Game Pass subscription service. 

That comes from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who confirms the much assumed news in a broader blog post discussing the company's stance on the Activision Blizzard acquisition. 

"While we love consoles, we recognise that they are not the only way that people play games," Spencer says. "Today, the largest and fastest-growing segment of gaming is mobile platforms. To reach the billions of players where they are and no matter what device they play on, we need to embrace choice. Giving players choice in how they play their games makes gaming more accessible and leads to larger, more vibrant communities of players. Choice is equally important to developers. Developers benefit from having a diversity of distribution and business models for their games. Choice unlocks opportunities for innovation and enables the industry to grow."

While part of Microsoft's plan to extend choice to players is through cloud game streaming technology for mobile, the other half relates to the Game Pass subscription model. As such, the goal is to include the trio of Activision Blizzard series in the service to "grow those gaming communities" as they'd be more accessible. 

Spencer also reiterates that Xbox is "committed to making the same version of Call of Duty available on PlayStation on the same day the game launches elsewhere", which would include Game Pass in this case. 

Spencer's blog post follows an announcement from a UK competition watchdog that Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal could lead to competition concerns, namely for Sony. The companies now have five days to submit proposals to alleviate those concerns. Otherwise, a second phase of the investigation will commence. 

Saudi Arabia is the first country to approve Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition deal, though the UK probably won't be the second – yet. 

Microsoft wants to put Call of Duty games on the Nintendo Switch, the company's president has revealed.

Speaking to CNBC, Microsoft President Brad Smith outlined some brief plans for the Call of Duty series going forward, should the company's acquisition of Activision Blizzard get approval from regulators. "We’d like to bring it to Nintendo devices," Smith stated of the Call of Duty series at large.

"We’d like to bring the other popular titles that Activision Blizzard has, and ensure that they continue to be available on PlayStation, [and] that they become available on Nintendo," Smith continued. He pointed to the Microsoft acquisition of Minecraft developer Mojang as an indicator of what the company wants to do with Call of Duty should the acquisition go ahead.

Over the past few weeks, Microsoft executives have reiterated their stance on keeping Call of Duty games on PlayStation consoles going forward. Chiefly, Xbox boss Phil Spencer signaled a desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation even after the Activision Blizzard acquisition, citing a desire to keep player bases together, and elsewhere, it's been reported that the next three Call of Duty games will come to PlayStation consoles, at the very least.

However, there's still some doubt the acquisition could be approved by regulators. Earlier this month, the FTC announced it would break from tradition and solely review Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, stepping away from typically handling such matters alongside the Justice Department. Alongside comments indicating a stricter stance on potential monopolies from the FTC, there's no guarantee at all that the deal will actually go through.

You can head over to our explainer on the Activision Blizzard lawsuit for the latest on the legal proceedings against the developer.

The Xbox One could take center stage again later this month at Gamescom, as Microsoft Studios head Phil Spencer will deliver Gamescom's keynote address.

Event organizer Koelnmesse issued a statement from Spencer (via CVG):

"The industry is at a turning point," Spencer said. "Gamescom is the ideal platform to discuss the impact of new hardware, accessories and software for the next generation of games. There has never been a better time to be a part of this industry. It is exciting to see how developers and authors use the new opportunities and create a completely new way of playing."

The date and details of Spencer's speech have not yet been announced. Given the statement and Microsoft's policy reversal on self-publishing late last month, it's likely he'll argue for the system as a friendly ecosystem for small and large developers alike.

Halo on Xbox One is a full-fledged entry in the first-person shooter series, but Microsoft won't say whether it's Halo 5. Microsoft confirmed to GameSpot that the new game, which was first teased at E3, is part of the Reclaimers saga.

That's right, it's now the Reclaimer saga, not trilogy.

Halo 4 was originally billed as the start of another self-contained trio, much like how Halo: Combat Evolved kicked off the first set of three. Turns out that was a bit too restrictive for the next phase of Xbox's signature space marine adventures.

"While we originally said trilogy, we've actually expanded this to more of a saga, so we don't want to limit the Reclaimer story within a trilogy," a Microsoft representative said.

Microsoft Game Studios VP Phil Spencer told GameSpot that we'll learn more about how it ties into the newly expanded narrative soon.

"It is the next Halo game that we are working on," Spencer said. "We will talk more about actually the story arc in the game and how it plays out; we've got more time to talk about that."

If your internet connection can't meet Xbox One's requirements, Microsoft advises you stick with Xbox 360. Both Microsoft Interactive Entertainment President Don Mattrick and Microsoft Game Studios VP Phil Spencer stressed the benefits of Xbox One's approach versus its potential drawbacks in separate interviews.

"It's something that when people experience it, it's easier than having people like me describe it," Mattrick said in a GameTrailers interview before the company's E3 press conference. "It really is powerful, and we did a lot of testing, and a lot of consumer research, and we think we made a really good choice."

"Fortunately, we have a product for people who can't get some form of connectivity, and it's called Xbox 360," Mattrick added. "If you have zero access to the internet, that is an offline device."

Phil Spencer used a cell phone analogy in an interview with Destructoid: if you live somewhere without good reception, you won't buy a cell phone. He also recommended Xbox 360 for players whose online connections aren't up to the task.

"The 360 ecosystem is a great ecosystem for somebody that's in a purely disconnected state for long periods of time," Spencer said. "We have built a natively connected device with Xbox One and we think the experiences are moving in that direction."

Whether consumers move on to Microsoft's vision of a connected future or prefer Sony's more flexible online approach remains to be seen.