Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, has revealed in a Tweet that Microsoft and PlayStation have “signed a binding agreement” to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
We are pleased to announce that Microsoft and @PlayStation have signed a binding agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard. We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favorite games.
Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 16, 2023
Apart from the wording around “binding agreement” it is unclear just what exactly are the terms in this deal, especially since Sony, or more specifically, Jim Ryan, has been hesitant even to consider such an agreement.
While those details are shrouded in mystery, Phil Spencer did talk about some details regarding the future of Call of Duty on PlayStation when on the stand at the FTC trial.
"I'm making a commitment standing here that we will not pull Call of Duty - it is my testimony - from PlayStation. As you said, Sony obviously has to allow us to ship the game on their platform. But absent any of that, my commitment is, and my testimony is that we will continue to ship future versions of Call of Duty on Sony's PlayStation 5."
Last December, Microsoft offered Sony a deal to keep the popular shooter on PlayStation consoles for a period of 10 years as well as deals to have the title appear on PlayStation Plus if Sony was interested. However, it is unclear if those arrangements are part of this deal. Regardless, Microsoft has seemed open to having Call of Duty on as many devices as possible, including those that either have not ever had COD available or haven’t in some time, especially that of Nintendo consoles, which hasn’t seen an entry since the WiiU.
Update: According to Windows Central, the current deal for Call of Duty is only for 10 years, with negotiations for re-upping the deal in 2033.