Sony says Microsoft’s Call of Duty offer was ‘inadequate on many levels’
Sony has labeled Microsoft’s offer to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation “inadequate on many levels.” Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer revealed to The Verge last week that the company is committed to keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation for “several more years” beyond the existing marketing deal Sony has with Activision. Sony isn’t impressed, though, just as Microsoft is in the middle of trying to get its $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard deal approved by regulators.
“Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends,” explains PlayStation chief Jim Ryan in a statement toGames Industry.biz. “After almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.”
Ryan’s statement makes it clear that “several more years” is actually three years after Sony’s Call of Duty marketing deal ends. Bloomberg originally reported earlier this year that Microsoft was committed to releasing Call of Duty on PlayStation “for at least the next two years,” suggesting that Sony’s marketing deal for the franchise could expire in 2024. That could mean Microsoft has only offered up until 2027.
“I hadn’t intended to comment on what I understood to be a private business discussion, but I feel the need to set the record straight because Phil Spencer brought this into the public forum,” continues Ryan in the statement. Spencer said Microsoft’s offer “goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements,” but it’s clearly
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