Xbox head Phil Spencer has revealed that Microsoft and PlayStation have “signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.”
Spencer took to Twitter to announce the news and share that he is looking forward to a future where players have more choice as to where they want to play their games.
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
“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,” Spencer wrote. “We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.”
No further details about the “binding agreement” were shared by Spencer, so it’s unclear exactly how long it is for or what it entails. It does, however, follow Microsoft’s FTC trial where Spencer said he will “do whatever it takes” to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation.
“I’m making a commitment standing here that we will not pull Call of Duty – it is my testimony – from PlayStation,” Spencer added. “As you said, Sony obviously has to allow us to ship the game on their platform. But absent any of that, my commitment is, and my testimony is that we will continue to ship future versions of Call of Duty on Sony’s PlayStation 5.”
In December 2022, it was reported that Microsoft’s offer to Sony was to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation for 10 years and the Sony had the rights to put Call of Duty on PlayStation Plus if it desired. It remains to be seen if that is the agreement these two companies agreed on or if things have changed since then.
This is just one more way Microsoft is working to be able to finally close its $68.7 billion deal and appease those groups, including the FTC and CMA, who have been against it. The clock is ticking, however, as the deal has a deadline of July 18. If it is not closed by then, Xbox would need to pay $3 billion to Activision Blizzard and the two companies would be able to renegotiate the terms of their merger.
For more, check out our complete trial recap for the Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, and FTC court case and why the FTC boss was recently accused of wasting taxpayer money with the Xbox verdict appeal.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.