PlayStation boss hits back at Xbox chief regarding Call of Duty future

The future of Call of Duty on PlayStation has become even more uncertain with the head of PlayStation claiming that Microsoft has offered an agreement that will last three years, once the company's current deal expires with Activision. 

This all began with Microsoft entering into an agreement in January to purchase Activision Blizzard for a reported $68.7 billion. The deal is yet to be approved as of yet with regulators in both the US and UK looking into the matter. If it goes through, however, Microsoft will own the rights to Call of Duty and can decide whether to put the popular shooter on PlayStation consoles. 

Earlier this week, Xbox chief Phil Spencer addressed this concern explaining that Microsoft is committed to keeping the series on PlayStation for "several more years". This proposal is thought to begin once Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 releases on PS5 and PS4 on October 28th, 2022. 

"In January, we provided a signed agreement to Sony to guarantee Call of Duty on PlayStation, with feature and content parity, for at least several more years beyond the current Sony contract, an offer that goes well beyond typical gaming industry agreements," Spencer told The Verge.  

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has now responded to Spencer's comments (via GamesIndustry.biz) saying: "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."

He added: "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."

If this deal does come to pass, it potentially means that Call of Duty would launch on a PlayStation console for the last time in 2025. Clearly, Ryan is unhappy with that notion and is now pushing back on the matter. 

Earlier this week, Sony began rolling out a new PS5 update that will introduce 1440p HDMI video output support to all consoles globally.