Microsoft promises to keep Call of Duty multiplatform

In January, Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for a record-setting $70 billion. Upon regulatory approval, that will give Xbox full control over some of the biggest franchises in gaming. To avoid setting off alarm bells for regulators, this week Microsoft has made some public assurances, such as keeping Call of Duty multiplatform, even after Activision Blizzard's current contracts with rival console makers expire. 

Previously, we learned that Call of Duty would remain on PlayStation until at least 2024, as Activision Blizzard has contracts in place with Sony for 2022 and 2023. In a lengthy blog post about Microsoft's willingness to adapt to new laws and regulations, the company confirmed that it will maintain the current status quo and won't push to make Activision Blizzard franchises exclusive to Xbox after the acquisition.

“Some commentators have asked whether we will continue to make popular content like Activision's Call of Duty available on competing platforms like Sony's PlayStation,” Microsoft writes in its post. “The obvious concern is that Microsoft could make this title available exclusively on the Xbox console, undermining opportunities for Sony PlayStation users. To be clear, Microsoft will continue to make Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles available on PlayStation through the term of any existing agreement with Activision”.

Microsoft goes on to confirm it has communicated this plan to Sony. The company goes on to say that keeping Activision Blizzard's major franchises multiplatform is “the right thing for the industry, for gamers and for our console business”. Microsoft even adds Nintendo to the mix, saying that it is also “interested in taking similar steps to support Nintendo's successful platform”.

With that in mind, it appears that Activision Blizzard under Microsoft will be treated similarly to Mojang. Another good example of this is Sony's recent acquisition of Bungie, as the studio's current and future games will also remain multiplatform after joining team PlayStation.

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KitGuru Says: Valued at almost $70 billion, there is no way that Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard doesn't attract regulatory scrutiny. However, the company seems keen to get out ahead of it. 

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