Microsoft originally indicated that it would keep Call of Duty on PlayStation indefinitely, then only this week it was revealed that Microsoft WILL pull Call of Duty away from PlayStation after ten years.
My OUTLANDISH business suggestion is that Sony should block any further CoD releases on their consoles because all it does is build up the audience for the game further which it will lose. Launch a good alternative, anything, at a more affordable price and market it heavily and grow the brand. Release it two months before CoD. Yes, it may BACKFIRE and all the CoD fans will migrate to Xbox! But alternatively it could take advantage of the massive PlayStation player base and become something new that people want to play.
COD on Playstation apparently makes more money for them than all of Sony's first party games combined so I doubt they will just block it.
But I agree they need to start making an alternative because MS will for sure eventually take it from Playstation and try and get all those users Sony paid massive marketing bucks to acquire.
I'm sure he will be disappointed, but Jim Ryan's endeavours for Sony to the trade regulators have not all been in vain. Originally Microsoft proposed to only keep Call of Duty for THREE years beyond the end of the end of the Activision Sony contract which ends in 2024. Now if the deal goes through Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation for TEN YEARS* (* if Microsoft includes the remaining years of Sony's contract this could actually be an extra EIGHT YEARS).
Nah they should keep it as long as they can, it's more revenue in their pocket to put towards their development and it gives them more time to develop a game or 2 to compete. Maybe they could convince Bungie to develop a COD clone for them.
If Sony blocked COD on their platforms, MS would have a MUCH harder time justifying spending billions on buying Activision, as COD is about all they are worth these days, and PlayStation is their biggest install base by far.
“Microsoft originally indicated that it would keep Call of Duty on PlayStation indefinitely, then only this week it was revealed that Microsoft WILL pull Call of Duty away from PlayStation after ten years.”
"...then only this week it was revealed that Microsoft WILL pull Call of Duty away from PlayStation after ten years." this is not fact and is simply speculation of worst case scenario from those hating on the MS/ABK deal.
They won't lose on anything in the short to medium term. Microsoft dont have any intention of making it exclusive, just like they didnt have any intention of making Minecraft exclusive. The franchises are just too big to not release on the dominant platform.
But Bethesda RPGs are not? Skyrim has sold north of 30m copies. Minecraft PS4 released just one month after MS acquired Mojang. They couldn't have affected that if they wanted to.
Agree which is why I don’t understand why PlayStation owners are panicking they won’t remove call of duty from any platform and kill it like that. Maybe in the future if Xbox has the user base to sustain the franchise but right now it doesn’t. Just not feasible.
Sony internally must be panicking right now trying to go to Microsoft to make a deal now lol. Both of these regulators are now saying an agreement for consoles is not needed anymore because there is no threat. Sony shot themselves in the leg. Underestimated Microsoft and their lobbying. It’s funny Microsoft has been acting very diplomatic through this whole process but activision is not mincing it’s words if you read what they said they are blatantly upset at Sony and talking crap that does not bode well for Sony In the future. Jim Ryan is an idiot he should be fired for how he handled this process.
It wouldn't die off, it just wouldn't be quite as popular. It seems like a dumb move to remove it, but that's now looking like what MS plans to do in 10 years.
People buy CoD because it's CoD. They play it on Xbox. They play it on Playstation. They play it on PC. They play it on phones and tablets. These are the people who go out and buy each and every new release.
The series won't die just because it's not on Playstation. They may lose some of the audience, but you will see people buying Xbox or going to PC just to play it. There's a lot of people who basically just play CoD.
"In the press release, the CMA admits there wouldn't be any competition dangers to the console market as the potential advantages of Microsoft making Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox consoles wouldn't be worth the cost of losing all the revenue the franchise's games make on PlayStation platforms. This is, after all, what Microsoft had been claiming all along."
Read the article man. They said this because it would be a huge fuck up on Microsoft part to not put COD on Playstation because of the amount of sales they would lose.
It's basically stating that they found no where near enough people would jump ship to Xbox to make it profitable for them to remove the game from Sony.
Your comment is literally"Tell me you didn't read the article without saying you didn't read the article."
They don't need to sign any of MS's shady 'deals' (they were bad based on the redacted documents anyway, looking to charge a license fee on top of the usual revenue split). MS has told all the regulators that they won't stop putting the game on PS, if they go back on that promise (which was said to approve this merger) then they'll be sued, forced to sell ABK, and won't be approved for any further big purchases
Not even close to being true. If Sony signed that agreement, THAT was legally binding. They didn't. Nintendo did. Now their legally obligated to bring CoD to Nintendo consoles in some capacity. Considering the power of the hardware, that would either be through streaming, or through titles built from the ground up for the platform. There's no such thing as a verbal agreement when it comes to the courts. With Sony having not accepted the agreement, though now it looks like it's going through anyway, Microsoft is legally clear to make PlayStation the only platform not to get a copy of CoD, unless Sony allows Gamepass on their system.
No. Did you even read what the CMA said? The thought of removing COD from PlayStation would not benefit Microsoft in the long run based on submitted financial documentations.
Microsoft as they said is not removing COD from PlayStation or anyplace else. And they will add locations it can be played. Some have contract agreements with MSFT and others have bypassed the written contract as they have confidence it is in MSFT best interest to keep COD available and take them on their word to this. (Steam)
A 10yr contract does not dictate the game will be removed after 10yrs also. It only is what it is. A contract in how business will operate for that 10yr period. After 10yrs a new contract can be signed or not with any adjustments sides agree on. And even without a new signed agreement MSFT has still the business plan to keep COD on all platforms.
MSFT though will use all available advertising and promotions of the game to its benefit. As well they will look at adding it to the likes of Game Pass and/or Gold.
COD will now me branded with MSFT/Xbox branding. MSFT will continue to earn profits from COD on all platforms it is available to, just as they do with Minecraft IP.
It will be made an exclusive after any deal is finished…I don’t get why this mindset is in place
They could have a deal for 1 year, 5, 10 whatever but once that deal is up they’ll be dropped like a sack of shit
MS can go on about how lovely they are and how they think about uniting gamers and all that shit but their actions say the opposite. Phil literally has contradicted himself so many times, this isn’t “made up fanboy shit” it’s right there in the open.
Example. Redfall was in development for both consoles, they then got bought by MS and they then told them to drop the PS5 version. Before this was found out it was said by Phil something along the lines of how they don’t stop games coming to the PS5. No one would care if they did they were bought, it’s just how it is, but why lie, just admit it.
If MS wasn’t planning to make COD an exclusive eventually then why tell Sony 10 years is enough to make a COD alternative
Just like Minecraft was made exclusive right? How come everyone seems to forget another extremely popular and influential IP that MS has on all platforms and is still updating to this day?
"Phil literally has contradicted himself so many times, this isn’t “made up fanboy shit” it’s right there in the open."
It is made up fanboy shit, it's fanboys blowing things out of proportion, taking quotes out of context and running with it, complaining when their own failed perception of their narrative doesn't line up with how the real world operates. Your example of Redfall actually proves this...
Phil said that games, particular Bethesda games would be on a case by case basis on platforms. And Redfall isn't the case. People can complain about it was in development all they want, but it was never announced for PS5 and now Arkane is a MS first party developer focusing on Xbox and it's eco system. So there is no lie, just a wild, false perception of what people want to believe to hold against MS.
Crazy how everyone is upset over this and mad at MS but not a peep about Stellar Blade, a game that was actually announced on all platforms, then later taken off Xbox by Sony.
"If MS wasn’t planning to make COD an exclusive eventually then why tell Sony 10 years is enough to make a COD alternative"
Because who knows what the future holds in 10 years. Who makes a deal for anything that big indefinitely? And 10 years is more than a console life cycle for Sony. Also, and more importantly, MS would own CoD, time for Sony to start flexing some of that first party muscle everyone swears by to make a great live service, multi player game for themselves. They already have 10 in the works amiright?
Lord knows this site loves multiplayer focused, online, GaaS type of games.
Just like project eve game was announced for both xbox and pc then sony made it exclusive ,like they did with many games before xbox was even a thing, but it is only wrong when microsoft make exclusives they own.
Phil Spencer said... Games that were publicly announced / Contractually obligated to come out on PlayStation prior to the acquisition would still come out. RedFall doesn't fit in either of those categories. It wasn't publicly announced nor obviously contractually obligated to come out on the PlayStation.
Not sure why everyone thinks MS needs to play nice. It's competition in the corporate world. Dog eat Dog world. Sony has the Lions share of the marketplace and Microsoft wants to cut into that or pass their percentage. Keeping all games on rival platforms wont help flip the market share percentage. Pick it up on PC if you don't have an Xbox—more choice than you have with PlayStation exclusives.
A game they never intended on making exclusive lol only... they fully intend on making it exclusive. Its like you just pretend that MS never pushed "deals" out. Why is there a deal? Because they intend on making it exclusive afterward.
@gangsta-red they need to make their own exclusives not buy up the market . You guys are really lame wanting games you already have to not be anywhere else. I don’t want any company buying third party publishers but this opens the door for everyone to do it and games will be locked to one platform or another because of this . Sony has a leg up on buying Japanese publishers obviously and I can see Capcom , Square , Altus , Bandai-Namco , Nihon Falcom , Level -5 or some combination being acquired by Sony and possibly Nintendo . This is bad for gaming in general . MS has made it so competitors need to join in on what they have been doing .
@Jznrpg "they need to make their own exclusives not buy up the market"
They are making their own exclusives.
"You guys are really lame wanting games you already have to not be anywhere else."
You guys don't seem to have an issue when sony does it. I've never seen a more entitled fanbase on dictating how the industry should behave according to their own specific bias rules. Every company that MS bought wanted to be bought, no one forced those studios at gun point to sell to MS. It's even more ridiculous to claim MS shouldn't be buying studios, especially after the absolute flack they got for not having any first party studios.
"This is bad for gaming in general"
Keep repeating this, even though it's not true at all. How is it bad for gaming? What exactly type of bad will happen in gaming? Again, a few of you parrot the same phrase without any type of real life examples or real explanations to back it up. And the even less on here that do try and explain this, only explain in the worse, outrageous 'what if' scenarios they can think of.
"MS has made it so competitors need to join in on what they have been doing ."
So competition is happening eh? The game is afoot!
Jznrpg - it happens both ways, dude. Just like with Insomniac and Spiderman. Sony buys games, too. It doesn't matter how you get exclusives - that's just made up fanboy talk. An exclusive is an exclusive. Make it, buy it, doesn't matter. A lot of the IPs these companies are making are new, under MS.
Microsoft can claim all they want that they weren't going to make it exclusive. Without this interjection, you'll never know. So, it's pointless to claim that. We can very well speculate what will happen after ten years, however, because of Microsoft's own words just a few days ago.
What we DO know is the CMA wanted remedies to ensure its passage doesn't mean a removal of COD's biggest platform.
Hopefully this means the deal will go through and i also hope MS makes all Activision games exclusive to Xbox and put all game on Gamepass too. I've gotten used to not buying games anymore and i don't want to start doing it again.
It's also time someone stops Sony's monopoly in the gaming industry and to be honest i would prefer if somehow the CMA/FTC brought in legal measures to force Sony to release all their games either day 1 on PS+ or tell them to allow MS to put Gamepass on PS.
Lol what? You want Sony to be legally obligated to release all their new games for free on day 1 for PS Plus subscribers? If they did that, they'd end up with first party games as bad as Microsoft's.
If MS can put all their 1st party games on gamepass and continue to make great games like HIFI rush and Starfield then Sony can easily put thie 1st party games day 1 on PS.
Remember it's anti customer for Sony to continue to charge games 80 for their games when MS puts all their games on Gamepass for a very cheap cost. MS is the only company holding Sony to account for their anti gamer actions.
Franchises / IPs old and brand new like Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake, Evil Within, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Rage, Prey, Starfield, Deathloop, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Diablo, WoW and so on are now all under Microsoft
What in gods name has Sony bought that matches to those kind of deals? Bungie? A deal which let’s be honest was basically a response to MS buying up shit. It’s literally timed stuff and smaller studios.
God. I mean Sony is not perfect, it’s a company who have done some stupid shit themselves but to see people get to the point where they want them to fail. Jeez. They are literally the main ones out of the two giving gamers some great experiences with their games.
I would not want an only Microsoft future it will be 2013 Xbox One reveal all over again.
Sony controls 80% of the gaming industry according to figures MS has shown the CMA. Sony's monopoly in game sales and console sales alone prove that MS needs to own more publishers/developers. Nintendo isn't considered a threat to MS or gamers but Sony is with their anti gamer policies they care more about making a profit unlike MS who care more about gamers having access to high quality titles for a cheaper cost.
I have no idea why Sony didn’t frame their argument around massive pantheon of legendary third party IP’s they would be losing when this deal goes through.
Focusing on COD wasn’t the best argument imo but I guess people who are getting alot more money than me framed their argument so what do I know.
The dream of every xbox fan. Stop Sony controlling the gaming market so their beloved trillion $ company can get a chance at winning something. Like I said before, Xbox needs wayyyyyyyy more than Bethesda and Acti to be the market leader and the main home console platform around the world. But keep dreaming...
That’s what you want people to dream. In reality people just play games on the system/systems they like. Who really sits around and thinks about who controls the market like they getting paid by the companies. other than you fan boys on this site. Not everyone is fighting the fanboy war just a small percentage of you on the internet. Touch grass n stop pulling people into the fanboy war with you.
@Othegamer5 ''Touch grass n stop pulling people into the fanboy war with you.'' Well it worked because you got triggered and had no other choice but to put on that cape and come to the rescue. No need to get upset by the facts.
I'm not sure how this could in any way be serious. Microsoft were closer to having a monopoly with the purchase of ZeniMax, Sony definitely weren't with the deals they've had with companies separate from PlayStation or their own organically built up studios.
Microsoft should have just used these 10's of billions of dollars to make new studios and give them creative freedom to make a huge variety of quality games.
Stupid - you guys want this deal to go through to get games you have but will end up with other games being taken away because Sony isn’t going to sit their and let Ms buy everything. Nintendo and other companies are going to join the fray also.
Holy crap this pretty much confirms the deal is going through.
Sony better start begging for a deal or they could lose out on COD in a couple of years.
Sony only focusing on CoD with their complaint, a game MS had no intention of making exclusive, pretty much handed them the win.
Will probably see other regulators approving the deal soon after too.
Hopefully this means the deal will go through and i also hope MS makes all Activision games exclusive to Xbox and put all game on Gamepass too. I've gotten used to not buying games anymore and i don't want to start doing it again.
It's also time someone stops Sony's monopoly in the gaming industry and to be honest i would prefer if somehow the CMA/FTC brought in legal measures to force Sony to release all their games either day 1 on PS+ or tell them to allow MS to put Gamepass on PS.