Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is one of the hottest topics of 2023. It’s been a year since hostilities began between Xbox and PlayStation vying for market dominance. Currently, Microsoft is still accused of wanting to monopolize the industry by acquiring a particularly famous franchise called Call of Duty.
For months, PlayStation has been trying to convince global authorities that Call of Duty is way too important to Sony’s ecosystem and that it would be very risky if the license ended up in the exclusive hands of Microsoft. Always wanting to reassure this, the company offered Sony 10-year contracts and promised Call of Duty availability “as long as there are PlayStations to play it”.
An unexpected turn of events
The white flag definitely seems tucked away explain their true intentions as Xbox representatives. Microsoft explains this to the British authorities Sony has plenty of time to focus on developing its own Call of Duty instead of continuing to fight for the existing franchise. In a report we can read:
“Microsoft believes that a 10-year period is sufficient to allow Sony, as the leading console publisher and manufacturer, to develop alternatives to CoD. […] The ten-year period extends to the next generation of consoles. […] Additionally, the practical effect of the appeal extends beyond the 10-year period, as games downloaded in the final year of appeal can continue to be played for the life of that console (and beyond, thanks to backwards compatibility).”
The law firm appears to be taking a new direction while the case is still pending in many countries. She who had shown good faith from the start, was she involved in the meanest game initiated by Sony? Since the beginning of the negotiations, the two parties have been engaged in a war of egos, which at times takes on ridiculous proportions.
Between Microsoft, which claims not to know the release date of the first Call of Duty, and Sony, which suggests that the game could be sabotaged in its PlayStation version, it’s the line that’s been growing at least since the court appearances in the tail biting. Whether this proposal will currently turn against the studio is difficult to assess, while Europe, for example, is still reluctant to Microsoft’s intentions.
After all, is it such a bad idea?
Credits: Activision
Credits: ActivisionThe end of the story is not yet foreseeable. Arguments fly in all directions and verdicts won’t be made for weeks or even months. However, Microsoft’s proposal deserves attention. Most gamers agree that Call of Duty has been a shadow of its former self for a number of years. Cult shooters generally struggle to hold their place as competition is fierce and renewal is key. A few exceptions prove the rule, such as the Modern Warfare remakes.
For its part, PlayStation is known for managing to create strong, enduring franchises that are as high quality in terms of narrative as they are in gameplay. So based on that observation, the publisher might as well examine that voice… after trying everything to keep Call of Duty in the first place. More used to adventure games, developing an FPS would be a challenge for PlayStation Studios, but nothing insurmountable, in short, franchises are created unexpectedly every year.