Sony says Xbox’s offer to keep Call of Duty games on PlayStation is ‘inadequate’
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan has called Microsoft’s proposal for keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles “inadequate on many levels”.
Last week, Microsoft provided some clarification on its plans for the future of Call of Duty, should its proposed acquisition of publisher Activision Blizzard get the go ahead.
In a statement to The Verge, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said Microsoft had committed to making the series available on PlayStation for “several more years” after Sony’s current marketing deal with Activision expires.
During this period, Call of Duty games released for PlayStation would have “feature and content parity”, Spencer said.
While the Xbox exec claimed the offer “goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements”, Sony’s Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz the company isn’t satisfied with the proposal.
“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,” Ryan said.
“Microsoft has only offered for Call of Duty to remain on PlayStation for three years after the current agreement between Activision and Sony ends.
“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.”
The current deal Call of Duty deal between Sony and Activision Blizzard is believed to cover this year’s Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2, and a new game from Black Ops developer Treyarch, which may not arrive until 2024.
Microsoft’s deal to acquire Activision
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