Call of Duty
If you really thought you were behind Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, resulting in the Call of Duty dispute between PlayStation and Xbox, you're completely off track. Yes, because although there is no significant news on the matter, Phil Spencer is doing everything possible to be able to convince the authorities of the countries that must approve this approval. And it does so above all in the press, with a new interview on Xbox On, Microsoft's official YouTube channel dedicated to gaming on PC and its consoles.
During the interview, Spencer reiterated (once again ) as in reality Microsoft's goal is to evaluate "case by case" the need to publish a title only on PC and Xbox or on other platforms. And as far as Call of Duty is concerned, he went back to talking about that famous ten-year contract, which would oblige (in the event of an acquisition) Microsoft to bring Activision's IP to other platforms, without any kind of difference in terms of content. Taking advantage of this commitment, Spencer let himself go to a comment that showed Sony's behavior, which according to some could be incorrect, such as a Hogwarts Legacy mission, which is exclusive to PS5 and which Spencer (and all Xbox players) can't play the game.
It's actually nothing new. Sony is betting a lot on this kind of content and partnerships. Beyond keeping games like Final Fantasy out of rival platforms, Call of Duty itself has also been the protagonist of this kind of maneuvers, with Early Access dedicated to betas and a greater distribution of experience points. In short, market practices that Spencer absolutely does not want to replicate, even if he has every right to do so.
Clearly Phil Spencer's statements are simply a "public relations" ploy. The truth, however, is that Microsoft will most likely be able to easily add the IP to Xbox and PC Game Pass, still going to penalize PlayStation. Not that there is anything wrong with all of this, but it is clear that the acquisition was decided precisely to have an advantage over competitors.
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