For years, Sony has paid Activision for a Call of Duty exclusivity deal that gives PlayStation owners special treatment for the popular shooter series. According to Microsoft President Brad Smith, this agreement expires in 2024.
Speaking to CNBC (via Insider-Gaming), Smith said Microsoft is offering Sony a 10-year “legally binding” deal for the Call of Duty series, with terms he believes are better than the deal Sony currently has with Activision Blizzard.
“So when we release a new version of Call of Duty on Xbox, it will be available on Sony PlayStation on the same day, under the same conditions and with the same features. This really guarantees parity. I think anyone who’s looked at it means it’s a better deal for Sony than the one they currently have with Activision Blizzard, which expires next year,” Smith said.
If true, the 2024 Call of Duty game could be the last under the existing deal between PlayStation and Activision. Call of Duty 2023 game according to the codename Jupiter, and 2024 may be codenamed Cerberus.
PlayStation owners have been getting special treatment for the Call of Duty series for years in the form of early access to multiplayer betas, exclusive in-game content, and more. The commission PlayStation pays Activision for these and other terms is unknown.
It’s possible that Smith deliberately mentioned that PlayStation’s Call of Duty deal expires in 2024 as part of some negotiating tactic amid Microsoft’s efforts to appease regulators and acquire Activision Blizzard. It’s also possible that Smith is mistaken or misinformed about the length of the PlayStation Call of Duty deal. GameSpot has reached out to PlayStation for more details.
Microsoft once held exclusive rights to Call of Duty content and gave Xbox owners preferential treatment. 2015’s Black Ops III marked the switch from Microsoft to Sony for exclusive rights to Call of Duty.
other news, This week, Microsoft and Nintendo agreed to a 10-year Call of Dutyas well as Microsoft is looking to bring Call of Duty to GeForce Now.
Smith, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, PlayStation’s Jim Ryan and other high-profile figures are meeting with regulators in Brussels this week to make the case for why Microsoft’s deal to buy Activision Blizzard should or shouldn’t go through. Keep checking GameSpot for the latest news.
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