Microsoft is officially committing to keeping the “Call of Duty” franchise available on PlayStation for “several more years” beyond the existing marketing deal Sony has with Activision.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer made the commitment in a written letter to PlayStation head Jim Ryan earlier this year, and confirmed it again this week in a statement to The Verge:
“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”
The current Sony contract reportedly runs for at least the next two years said Bloomberg earlier this year. With this pledge of several years beyond that, it suggests “Call of Duty” will remain cross-platform until 2026-2027 – around which time will likely be the next generation of hardware going by the usual seven-year cycle (the current PS5 & XBS|X consoles released in 2020).
This marks the clearest sign that the “Call of Duty” franchise won’t suddenly disappear from PlayStation platforms should Microsoft’s $68.7 billion deal be approved by regulators.
