Xbox confirms that like Minecraft, it will keep Call of Duty multiplatform

In response to news that the UK CMA is moving onto phase two of its investigation into Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has published a new blog post further detailing its plans for the company post-merger. In short, Microsoft is now more firmly committing to keeping Activision Blizzard games multi-platform.

The post, penned by Microsoft Gaming CEO and Xbox head, Phil Spencer, tries to answer some of the burning questions fans, developers and regulators have been asking. The post admits that while consoles are important right now, Microsoft is really looking to usher in a future where games can be playable across almost any device. That includes bringing the biggest games to Xbox Game Pass, so players have a cost-friendly subscription alternative to purchasing games, and making games accessible on other devices, like smartphones, via cloud gaming.

Microsoft believes that Activision Blizzard studios have the expertise to really boost Microsoft's efforts to bring high-end gaming to mobile devices.

The most important paragraph in the post reads as follows: “We will pursue a principled path. We’ve heard that this deal might take franchises like Call of Duty away from the places where people currently play them. That’s why, as we’ve said before, we are committed to making the same version of Call of Duty available on PlayStation on the same day the game launches elsewhere. We will continue to enable people to play with each other across platforms and across devices.”

Spencer goes on to point out that this is the same approach Microsoft took with Minecraft and it proved to be very successful. He also hints at plans to bring the Xbox Store to more platforms and devices in the future too, indicating that Microsoft is positioning itself as more of games publisher and service provider, rather than a console-focused platform holder.

KitGuru Says: As one of the biggest game franchises in the world, Call of Duty should be kept multiplatform and remain accessible to all the players that helped ensure its success in the first place. With all of the discussion around Activision Blizzard right now, I do wonder if Microsoft will feel pressure to make sure the next Elder Scrolls and Fallout games are multiplatform too. 

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