PlayStation players, rejoice Call of Duty isnt going anywhere

Microsoft and Sony have signed a binding agreement to retain Call of Duty games on PlayStation for 10 years. This comes days after a US court permits Microsoft to acquire Activision. The court denied America’s Federal Trade Commission’s plea to block the Microsoft-Activision deal. Here’s how all these impact you, the gamer.

We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and @PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 16, 2023

Potential benefits of Microsoft Activision deals for gamers

1. Bigger Xbox library

Activision, Blizzard, and King games will make their way to the Xbox Game Pass library.

In its official blog post announcing the acquisition deal, Microsoft said this would include Call of Duty, Diablo and Overwatch. Some leaked documents from the UK’s CMA trial reveal a new CoD title could make its way to Game Pass in 2025.

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The company assures the CoD would be available on PlayStation the same day that it launches on Xbox. 

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.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 20, 2022

 2. Better game development

Microsoft assures it will be investing in the development teams that come into the fold with this acquisition. Microsoft has the money to improve the resources and thereby the games. This could be in the form of game graphics, features, and gameplay. 

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3. Improved innovation

With Microsoft becoming a bigger competitor, Sony and Nintendo will be compelled to innovate more and this could introduce new types of games and newer ways of interacting and playing them.

But it goes without saying that this acquisition could lead to a future wherein very few big publishers exist in the market and they could control the dynamics of the market (an oligopoly), creating barriers to entry for new players, increasing game prices, and making lucrative titles exclusive.

Only time will tell if it in fact ends up like that.