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In the wake of Microsoft's historic acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Xbox boss Phil Spencer says he's since spoken with Sony about honoring existing agreements and "our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation."
Spencer said previously that Xbox's Activision deal wasn't meant to "pull communities away" from PlayStation, and he's now shared a tweet confirming Xbox's "desire" to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation platforms in some form.
Had good calls this week with leaders at Sony. I confirmed our intent to honor all existing agreements upon acquisition of Activision Blizzard and our desire to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Sony is an important part of our industry, and we value our relationship.January 20, 2022
This is significant to anyone, and particularly PlayStation users, eager to learn what Xbox's Activision deal means for exclusivity going forward. The deal isn't expected to close until the 2023 fiscal year, which ends in June 2023, but it's reasonable to expect at least some future Activision Blizzard titles to be Xbox exclusive. However, according to Spencer, Call of Duty will remain multiplatform for an unspecified period of time. That said, Spencer's assuredly thoughtful use of the word "desire" in reference to Xbox's plans to keep Call of Duty multiplatform does indicate some wiggle room.
Spencer's tweet is also big news simply for the fact that it's the first confirmation that Xbox and Sony are in active talks regarding the acquisition. One would assume as much considering the scale of the deal, but it's fascinating to hear insights straight from the head of Xbox. For Sony's part, a spokesperson recently told the Wall Street Journal that Sony expects Activision Blizzard games to remain on PlayStation due to "contractual agreements," and now we're hearing similar claims from Spencer.
There's still a long road ahead for Microsoft and Activision, as Government approval of the deal is said to be "likely long and not guaranteed."
